Speakers for Athlone Meeting Confirmed

The line up of speakers for the national meeting in the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone tomorrow night has been confirmed.

IFA Deputy President Alice Doyle will chair the meeting and the following will give updates:

• Dr. Pat Touhy, Senior Research Officer Teagasc
• Paul Savage Assistant Secretary General DAFM
• Michael Moloney, Senior Inspector DAFM
• Tadhg Buckley, Director of Policy IFA

The meeting will discuss policy threats to farming on peat soils.

Alice Doyle said BISS conditionality, so-called ‘reduced intensity’ farming proposals and Nature Restoration Law requirements are posing a risk to the viability of farming on peat soils. 

The meeting will also hear an update on the campaign for an immediate ACRES payment from national funds.

Alice Doyle said, “Firstly, farmers need to be fully informed about what is going on. Most of these issues are resulting from decisions made by the previous Government and the previous EU Commission. However, the new Government and Commission seem to be hellbent on implementing all of these measures, despite promises of simplification and reduced bureaucracy,” she said.

“These measures threaten to wipe out commercial farming and devalue land at the stroke of a pen,” she said.