THOUSANDS OF REPS FARMERS LEFT IN LURCH AND KEPT IN DARK – CREED

Fine Gael Agriculture Spokesperson, Michael Creed TD, this week called on the Minister to ensure that suspended REPS payments were made as soon as possible and to clearly explain what is going on and what the Department is doing to sort it out.

Deputy Creed said the pay freeze followed hot on the heels of the suspension of the Farm Improvement Scheme and the announcement that no advance payments will be made for REPS 4 was leaving farmers in the lurch when they needed to make vital capital investments.

“Thousands of farmers are being hit by the freeze in REPS payments. Many of these farmers will have taken out loans to invest in essential infrastructure on their farms and this creates a serious cash flow problem while they await the arrival of their funds.

“The way in which this situation has been handled by the Minister and her Department has also left a lot to be desired with farmers being left completely in the dark. In the first place, the Minister must argue strongly for a solution to this problem but she must also inform farmers as to exactly what is going on and when they can expect the release of REPS 2 and REPS 3 payments.

“The Minister needs to clarify the situation as a matter of urgency and needs to make a more concerted effort to communicate more openly with farmers to reassure them in light of the forthcoming CAP health check and to quell uncertainty in the sector”.

GRASP THE GREEN AGENDA AT THE BIOENERGY CONFERENCE 2008

A major national bioenergy conference will take place in Tullamore, County Offaly on Tuesday next, 12 February 2008. The one-day conference, jointly organised by the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) and Teagasc, will focus on the latest developments in this emerging industry.

The theme for the conference is ‘Bioenergy - Making it a Sustainable Reality’ and it will focus on how to make the bioenergy supply chain work. The panel of national and international speakers, drawn from the different stages of the supply chain, will share their experiences on how they achieved success in the biomass energy sectors and in the less-known non-energy sectors of crop-derived construction materials, renewable polymers and lubricants.

The possibility of using crops for fuel is one of the most exciting developments of recent years.

Announcing details of the conference, Teagasc energy crop specialist Barry Caslin said: “This conference will provide those involved in all stages of the biomass chain with the opportunity to hear about the latest policy developments, research, commercial initiatives and the new opportunities that are emerging”.

President of IrBEA Vicky Heslop said: ”Now is a really exciting time in the industry with new and promising opportunities continuously emerging. Our National Bioenergy Conference this year will hear from those already successful in the sectors as they share their experiences of making the bioenergy supply chain work for them”.

The conference will also be presented with up-to-date information on applicable regulations and the support schemes now available to help realise the huge market potential for bioenergy.

In addition, key questions on the bigger issues will be discussed such as: Can food compete with fuel? Are we getting the most from our biomass resources? How can the many sectors necessary to realising the bioenergy potential be co-ordinated to act as one?

The conference brings together all the main players from this dynamic new sector to the one location, providing an opportunity to network and to meet and speak with the participants and the companies already working in the sector as well as a number of the sector’s companies exhibiting at the conference.

Full details of the conference are available at www.teagasc.ie

I.C.M.S.A. WARN OF ‘AGRICULTURE CATASTROPHE’ IF W.T.O. PROPOSALS ARE AGREED

The President of ICMSA, Jackie Cahill, has warned of an Irish and European agriculture catastrophe if the latest proposals made at WTO are agreed by the EU.

“There’s no point in any more in adopting a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude on the subject of WTO. Every time the process stops or breaks-down, it simply resumes again at a starting point that is even more disadvantageous than the original point of difference. Vital Irish economic interests are in imminent danger of being sacrificed.

"Despite repeated efforts by the Irish Government - and here, we must acknowledge the personal efforts of Minister Coughlan and her team - unelected EU bureaucrats are about to broker what amounts to a catastrophic sell-out at WTO. The time has now come for the Taoiseach to point out to the President of the European Commission - in the strongest terms possible - that EU Commissioner Mandelson does not have a mandate for the offers he is apparently now making on behalf of the EU”.

Mr. Cahill said that in recent days the push for a deal has been noticeably increased and that Commissioner Mandelson continues to offer concession after concession on the agricultural front.

The ICMSA President said that he frankly he does not believe the usual bland assurances from the Commission, most particularly, the recent comments by Commissioner Fischer Boel about the possibility of balanced deal.

“The reality is that whatever is done at the negotiating table in Geneva effectively binds the EU and there is no going back. This point cannot be over-emphasised – if Mandelson goes ahead with his plans, then all the rest of the debates in and around Irish agriculture, like the proposed expansion of the milk quota – become as relevant as the proverbial rearrangement of the deckchairs on the Titanic.

"The matter is that clear-cut and time is not on our side. The Government must now demand a binding assurance from Commissioner Mandelson that there has been no offer at WTO which goes a single millimetre beyond the mandate which was confirmed at the EU Council of Ministers in October 2005. The net result of what is now being negotiated would be that Irish farmers would face prices at or near world prices while burdened with the highest costs on the planet.

"In those circumstances, many of our enterprises could go in the way of our sugar sector, which disappeared overnight because of WTO rules. The red lights are flashing and the Government must act this instant”, warned Mr Cahill.