Speaking after a meeting with An Taoiseach, Simon Harris and Minister McConalogue, the President of ICMSA Denis Drennan, stated that the Government representatives had been left in no doubt that farmers expected the forthcoming Budget 2025 to deliver significantly on the range of issues that ICMSA had outlined in detailed fashion in numerous submissions – most recently their pre-Budget Submission.
Mr. Drennan said that the farm and wider agri sector had undergone “a collapse” both in terms of farmer income and overall value in the last three years and it was now urgent that the Government recognised and acted on their duty to support the sector and restore some degree of the confidence that had collapsed along with overall values and farm incomes.
Mr. Drennan said that ICMSA had deliberately specified measures that were “deliverable and doable, proposals that are pragmatic and easily implemented” and he noted the association’s proposal on a volatility-curbing measure as an example.
“In Budget 2025, we asked the Taoiseach to finally deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to deliver a measure that would address the long-standing question of income volatility measure for farmers. We pointed out to An Taoiseach that if ever evidence for such a measure was required, you only had to look the Teagasc figures released some months ago that showed the kind of collapse in farm incomes and values over the last two years.
“If farmers had been allowed ‘put away on deposit’ incomes from the previous two years they would have been in a far better position to deal with the collapse of the last few years. But no such measure has been introduced despite the obvious need and ICMSA identification of the best model. We have redesigned that model yet again and it must form part of Budget 2025, together with coherent and logical measures that support farm transfer and a scheme to develop dairy beef production in Ireland,” said Mr. Drennan.
In relation to environmental matters, Mr. Drennan said that ICMSA acknowledged recent proposals in relation to farm grants for slurry storage and planning requirements and requested that the grant rate be increased to 70% with realistic reference construction costs. The Taoiseach had been told of the absolute need for the retention of the Nitrates Derogation – a measure that cannot be overstated in terms of its importance for all agriculture sectors – and Mr. Drennan noted that the agriculture sector was already ‘on the road’ in terms of ‘Vision Reports’ for all farm sectors to address climate change and Teagasc’s MACC’s curves.
The ICMSA President stressed that farmers are already delivering improvements, and the Government needs to be more proactive in supporting farmers on their efforts.
On Mercursor, the Taoiseach was asked to reaffirm Ireland’s opposition to any trade agreement premised on importation of food produced to lower standards and Mr. Drennan concluded by urging the Government to avail of this ‘last chance’ to deliver the volatility-curbing measure that they had unveiled in the Programme for Government nearly five years ago
