February 2011 Dear The upcoming election will prove a defining moment in our history. The economy is on the brink of collapse, the country on the brink of despair. As so often in the past, agriculture is a beacon of hope at this time. Farmers have continued to produce world class milk, beef, lamb, grain, fruit and vegetables, pork, and poultry. It is being sold across the world, with €12bn generated in food and drink exports last year, providing a lifeline to the economy. As an active farmer, who milks in the morning before facing into the work of a TD, I am hugely positive about the prospects for farming. The ‘Food Harvest 2020’ plan stands as one of the outgoing Government’s few achievements of merit, and I fully endorse the targets of a 50% volume increase in milk, and a 50% value output in dairying. Upcoming reform of the CAP will have a huge impact on our production and incomes, and Fine Gael, as member of the EPP, by far the largest group in the EU, will be well placed to strongly negotiate a good outcome for Ireland. Fair Trade Bill Suppliers are being squeezed unfairly for profit by large and powerful retailers. As a result, producers are receiving low prices for their produce. But Irish consumers are also paying the second highest prices in Europe. Removing unfair practices to competition will lower food prices for consumers and will give producers a fairer price for their produce. We will enact a Fair Trade Act, which will ban a number of unfair trading practices in the retail sector such as ‘hello money’ which producers have to pay to get their goods on supermarket shelves. Dairy It is vital that the new Government negotiate a ‘soft landing’ for milk quotas. The ending of quotas in 2015 is now inevitable, but Ireland, so disadvantaged by the quota regime’s introduction in 1984, must not be penalised in its end days. A superlevy should only be imposed if the overall EU quota is exceeded. If other countries do not fill their quotas when markets are tight, Ireland must be allowed pick up the slack. There is a need to increase processing capacity and efficiency to cope with increased production. This is a nationally important strategic need, and Government must be involved in its delivery. Beef Farmers must consistently receive a fair price from the processor/retail cartel that exists. Strong legislation, at EU and national level, to ensure price transparency and the integrity of the food chain at all levels is required. Live exports must be protected from excessive regulation, and Bord Bia must be strongly supported in marketing our meat worldwide.
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