They also took the opportunity to examine the Party’s priorities going forward into this year’s European Election.

    Party agriculture spokesperson’s Councillor Gerry McHugh and Martin Ferris, the Kerry North TD hosted the meeting. The panel also included the MP for the area Michelle Gildernew MLA, together with the party spokesperson on EU affairs, and European Election candidate Bairbre de Brún MLA.

    Bairbre de Brún outlined the party position on the CAP reforms, the reasons why the party supported full decoupling, lobbied for its introduction on an all Ireland basis, and then the introduction of a hybrid model for calculating Direct payments. She said although the party was the first on the island to call for full decoupling, they were certainly not of the view that the CAP reforms were a panacea for Irish farmers.

    Martin Ferris said they were currently involved in a campaign to have the whole of the island designated a GM free zone.

    The large crowd were given the opportunity to ask questions which varied from issues on CAP reform, the Farm Quality assurance scheme, the inability to export beef, the importation of inferior food, and the role of the processing industry. Farmers were also concerned at the failure to deliver on animal health and the loss of jobs in the rural economy.

    Gerry McHugh agreed that the beef industry needed to lift itself, and sell on a world stage, and that a lot of the issues around the CAP reforms still were not clear.

    “For this reason we are conducting a number of meetings in the next two weeks, beginning with the Consumer Council, the LMC and then the Minister to discuss all Ireland animal health and the CAP reforms,” he reported.