14 Million Litres Allocated To Dairy Farmers Under New Entrants Scheme

Junior Agriculture Minister and Fianna Fail T.D. for Clare, Tony Killeen said the news that 70 new entrants to dairying have each been allocated a milk quota of 200,000 litres under the New Entrants Scheme augurs well for the future of the Irish dairy sector.

Applications for the scheme, details of which were announced in June, were considered through a selection process conducted by an independent assessment group chaired by Mr. John Tyrrell, Director General of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS).

A total of 141 applications were received by the closing date of 31 July 2009. Of these, 35 were disqualified because the applicants were either already quota holders, did not submit a business plan or did not have the required educational qualifications. The remaining 106 were considered by the assessment group, which selected the 70 successful applicants.

Minister of State Killeen said the applications were high not only in number but also in quality. He continued: “The feedback from the assessment group has been extremely positive, in that while the 70 successful applicants clearly merited their selection, the overall standard across all applications was very high. The milk sector is, and will continue to be, hugely important for Ireland. It has huge potential. This scheme, aimed at new entrants, augurs well for the future of the sector.”

He noted that that a further 1% of additional quota would be available in 2010. “All recipients have until 1 April 2011 to commence production, and all will be required to attend training courses facilitated by Teagasc and to provide financial statements on an annual basis to the Department”, added Minister of State Killeen.

Killeen Stresses Importance Of Lisbon Treaty In Tackling Climate Change

Minister of State and Fianna Fail T.D. for Clare, Tony Killeen today said that Ireland's policy and contribution on tackling climate change is increasingly shaped by our membership of the European Union, where we in turn can exert influence on the wider world.

Speaking during a visit to County Clare by Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Minister of State Killeen stressed the importance of a yes vote in the upcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum. He stated: “The European Union has taken a global lead on Climate Change with a unilateral 20% reduction in green house gas emissions by 2020 and a commitment to step-up this target to 30% in the event of world leaders reaching an effective and meaningful deal in December.”

Minister of State Killeen added that Ireland sought and secured EU agreement to the explicit inclusion of combating climate change as an EU competence in the Lisbon Treaty. “Ireland fully supports the EU policy in tackling climate change and the important role it is playing in the lead up to Copenhagen. There is no better demonstration of the importance and effectiveness of the EU to its citizens and the wider global community,” he commented.

Acceptance Of Lisbon Treaty Will Aid Irish Economic Recovery Says Killeen

Junior Minister and Clare Deputy Tony Killeen has said that Ireland's acceptance of the Lisbon Treaty in the upcoming Referendum would greatly assist Irish economic recovery and ensure that the country remained at the centre of Europe.

Minister of State Killeen noted that the scale of the current economic challenges could only be tackled by countries working more closely together. He continued: "We need an efficient and reformed EU to help us. Europe has listened to the Irish people and has given new guarantees on all of the main issues from last year. The Treaty is subject to these legal guarantees. Bearing in mind that in over 50 years the EU has fully honoured every one of many similar guarantees, we can be sure that voting Yes to Lisbon is a vote for economic recovery in both Ireland and Europe. No is the vote for Ireland taking a step away in a new and more uncertain direction".

Commenting on the legal guarantees received from the EU in June, Minister of State Killeen pointed out: "Voting Yes will ensure Ireland retains its Commissioner. A No vote will mean current rules remain, which means the loss of automatic Commission membership immediately. In 2008, 80% of people were concerned about this issue. It has now been addressed."

"Voting Yes will enhance Ireland's ability to attract investment. The people who invest in Ireland and support hundred of thousands of jobs say that confidence in our position as a Euro-positive country matters a lot for them. Only a Yes will help maintain confidence at this difficult time. Voting Yes is also good for workers and social protection. The Treaty is based on the idea of enabling both growth and social protection, building on the Union's role as the great protection of workers and consumers", he added.

Minister of State Killeen said that Ireland needed a reformed EU to tackle the economic crisis. "A Union frozen in the past is of no use to anyone, but a Union that is more dynamic and effective is essential for our future. A more efficient EU is to our benefit. We also need to send a strong signal to our EU partners and to international investors that we are a fully engaged EU country. Ratifying Lisbon will send this vital signal", he concluded.

Brucellosis-Testing Programme Is Scaled Down

Junior Agriculture Minister, Mr. Tony Killeen T.D., has said that the brucellosis-testing programme will be scaled down over the next two years following the recent European Commission decision granting Ireland officially brucellosis-free status.

The Clare T.D. confirmed that significant changes to the brucellosis programme have already been implemented with effect from 9th September 2009. The changes include an increase in the age threshold for annual round testing to 24 months; an increase in the validity period of the pre-movement test from 30 days to 60 days; an increase in the age-limit for the pre-movement test for female animals from 12 to 18 months and, in view of the lower risk attached to their movement, to 24 months for bulls; and the pre-movement test "one sale" rule applying to female cattle aged 18 months or more is retained. However, as a result of the change in age threshold for bulls, the "one sale" rule for bulls is being increased from 12 to 24 months.

According to Minister Killeen: “The new arrangements will reduce the cost of testing to farmers by removing the need to test approximately a quarter of all eligible animals during the course of annual herd testing. In addition, the extension of the pre-movement test to 60 days combined with the increase in the age threshold to 18 months for female animals will result in further significant savings for farmers. The total saving from these changes is estimated to be in the region of EUR5m.”

He continued: “In addition to the changes that came into effect this week, I welcome the move to initiate further changes in 2010 and in 2011. Commencing on 1 January 2010, dairy herds scheduled to be tested in 2010 and 2011 will now be tested every second year. This will exclude some 550,000 animals each year from the round test and, when taken in conjunction with the increase in the age threshold to 24 months which is being introduced immediately will remove some 1.35m animals from the annual testing programme".

"The steps taken by the Department of Agriculture are risk-based and focussed on reducing costs on farmers generally. They strike a balance between reducing significantly herd-based surveillance testing whilst maintaining vigilance regarding movement of animals. Reducing the burden of testing at herd level in a strategic way gives greater all-round cost reduction benefit while continuing to mitigate the overall level of risk of disease spread", added Minister of State Killeen.

Fianna Fail Must Support The Greens In Government

Clare Green Councillor Brian Meaney, one of three sitting Green County or City Councillors in the country, has said the Government will collapse if Fianna Fail ignores his Party's stance on the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and the Commission on Taxation Report.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Green Party's membership this Saturday, the Clare County and Ennis Town Councillor said the Green party was prepared to implement change regardless of the political consequences or its popularity ratings in the opinion polls. He said: "Being in Government right now is the most fantastic place the Green Party can be. Ireland is at a critical juncture and the Greens are in a position to demand the implementation of measures required to influence the establishment of sound fundamentals to Irish electoral, financial and planning structures. A question remains, however, over Fianna Fail's willingness to accept the change that is necessary and the unknown political consequences of that".

Councillor Meaney, who has been a party member for 20 years, added that the redrafting of the proposals on NAMA was only one element of the demands being sought by the Green Party of their Government partner. He continued: "The NAMA Legislation only deals with consequences of the Wild West that was, or perhaps still is, the Irish banking sector. This lawless sector was presided over by our senior Government partner and made worse by the Dodge City planning and zoning decisions around the country. We possibly have the opportunity to set it right though I do not conceive the electorate will thank us for it. We should be prepared to take the hard decisions by securing the future of this country. Any party that fails to do so should not be in government."

Councillor Meaney admitted that, despite the pressure his party was placing on their Government partner, a General Election would undermine the country's ability to tackle the problems it now faced. "The authority and mandate of this Government to introduce the measures required to correct national finances and the banking sector may be open to question. However, the political posturing and opportunistic headline-grabbing positions taken by political parties and opinion makers over the last number of weeks is an indication of the debate that would take place during a general election campaign. It is clear to me that a General Election would solve nothing and would only lead to more confusion, false promises, and the general appeasement of various interest groups due to the parochial and clientelist nature of the Irish political process.

"The focus, media and otherwise, should not be on whether the Greens walk from Government but on Fianna Fail shirking doing what is right and supporting the measures the Greens are prepared to support and once and for all put the Governance of this State on the right track. Any capitulation by Fianna Fail on this would require them to leave Government. This would spark a General Election that Ireland's reputation can ill afford, potentially transforming this country into a political basket case as well as an economic basket case.

"For the first time in our political history the Greens are not irrelevant and we would be foolish if we allowed that opportunity slip. We face political oblivion if we, as a small, policy orientated political party fail to use our position to shove our political partners down the route this State has failed to take in the past. Fianna Fail must support the Greens in Government", concluded Councillor Meaney.

EU Agriculture Ministers Seek Improvements For Dairy Market

Junior Agriculture Minister and Clare T.D., Mr. Tony Killeen has backed calls by fifteen EU Member States for major improvements in support for hard-pressed dairy farmers.

The call was made at a meeting of the EU council of Agriculture Ministers in Brussels this week. The 15 Ministers agreed that additional rapid action at EU level was required to deal with the critical situation on European milk markets driven by the global economic crisis.

According to Minister of State Killeen: “The group called for a comprehensive EU approach combining immediate short-term measures along with a medium term strategy to deal with volatility in the milk sector. I am especially heartened by the strong support from so many Member States for effective action on these issues. It is critically important for these countries to continue to work closely together to ensure that this leads to real and immediate action leading to the recovery in the EU milk market and realistic prices for farmers.”

He continued: “Among the measures being called for is a temporary increase in the intervention price, and careful management of the disposal of intervention stocks; increased export refunds for butter, milk powder and cheese, while avoiding any distortions in developing country markets; the reactivation of aid for use of milk powder in animal feed; and consideration of measures to modernise and adapt the dairy sector.”

Minister of State Killeen welcomed the sense of urgency among Ministers to redress the increasing divergence between prices paid to farmers and those charged to consumers. “Ministers overwhelmingly supported recommendations from a high-level group to examine the balance in relationships between retailers, processors and producers and to improve the transparency of price formation at every stage in the food chain”, concluded Minister Killeen.

Closing Date Nears For Submissions To Organic Farming Scheme Review

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr. Tony Killeen, T.D., has reminded stakeholders in the organic sector and the general public that the deadline for submissions to the review of the Organic Farming Scheme is Friday, 4 September.

Last month the Department of Agriculture announced a review of the Organic Farming Scheme under which support is paid to farmers in the sector. According to Minister of State Killeen: "The review will look at how available funds can be used to best effect to deliver increased organic production and expand the area of farmland in the sector. As part of this review, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is developing a set of criteria for selecting those applications that are most likely to contribute to the scheme objectives."

The Clare Deputy added: "The Department is inviting submissions from stakeholders in the organic sector and from the general public. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 4 September." Submissions should be sent by email if possible to organics@agriculture.gov.ie or by post to the Organic Unit, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co Wexford.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Killeen has reiterated his call for the European Commission to introduce further measures that will help stimulate the Irish dairy sector. The Junior Agriculture Minister said further action was needed to increase dairy intervention prices, along with the scope and level of export refunds. "The European Commission must urgently consider such actions due to the current downturn in milk prices. I believe there is an urgent need for the Commissioner to develop a medium term strategy to enable the sector to manage the transition to a post-quota era and to deal with the effects of market volatility", he commented.

Minister Killeen noted that Agriculture Ministers from throughout the Union would have an opportunity to address the problems in the dairy sector at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers on 7 September next.

Agri-Food Sector Needs Support Of Irish Retailers

The viability of the agri-food sector is dependent on the commitment of the Irish retail sector to sourcing and providing a comprehensive range of familiar domestic products and brands.

That is according to Junior Agriculture Minister and Clare T.D. Tony Killeen who this week said that the concentration at retail level has fundamentally changed the balance of market negotiating power in the food chain. Acknowledging that this was not an issue confined to Ireland, Minister of State Killeen added: “This is one factor behind the declining share of retail prices passed to agricultural producers. The Department has been working closely with the Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan TD, and her Department on the details of a Code of Practice in this area, which will have as its key objective the need to achieve a balance in the relationship within the retail trade.”

The Clare T.D. explained, “The Irish Agri-food is Ireland’s most important indigenous sector, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout every county in the country, at both producer and processor level. I, along with my Department colleagues, will continue to impress upon large retailers the benefits of continuing to support, source and make available as wide and comprehensive a range of Irish products as possible.”

“While it is important that consumers continue to get value from retailers, it should be pointed out that a fair return to suppliers and producers is essential to the maintenance of thousands of Irish jobs and the survival of primary producers. The importance of a sector that supports, directly and indirectly, 230,000 jobs cannot be overstated. Furthermore, the sector has the potential to accelerate the country’s economic recovery”, he concluded.

Extension Of Public Intervention For Butter And Skimmed Milk Powder

Junior Agriculture Minister Tony Killeen expressed delight that pressure from the Irish Government and other EU Member States had led to the European Commission’s decision today to extend public intervention for butter and skimmed milk powder.

“This measure reflects the view at high political level of the continued importance of the dairy sector to the EU and the EC’s commitment to providing as much support as possible to address the current volatile international dairy market situation”, stated Minister of State Killeen. He added: “While prices remain at an unacceptably low level, the Irish Government will continue to mobilise colleagues in the Council of Ministers for their continued support in favour of actions in the dairy market. Such action is absolutely essential to support the Dairy Sector through a difficult period. The Irish Government will continue to highlight the need to use in the most effective way possible all Market Management measures”.

Minister Killeen has also welcomed the decision of the Milk Management Committee to extend the private storage aid scheme for butter from 15th August, when the scheme would normally close, until 28th February 2010. The scheme was introduced in January this year, two months ahead of schedule because of the difficult market situation.

Meanwhile, Minister Killeen said that the Irish Government, principally, through Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, would continue to press for an increase in export refunds for cheese, butter and skimmed milk powder. “My colleague Minister Smith this week pressed for the removal of impediments to support the export outside the Community of cheese products. In parallel with an increased level of refund, we also need to secure the suspension of the free-at-frontier price so that cheese refunds would actually benefit exporters. The export of quality cheeses from the EU would act as a stimulus to the market and generate much needed demand”, concluded the Clare T.D.

Commission Must Continue To Extend Dairy Market Supports Says Killeen

Junior Agriculture Minister Tony Killeen today said the Irish Government supported European Commission proposals to extend public intervention for butter and skimmed milk powder.

The Clare Deputy was commenting ahead of a meeting in Brussels next week at which Member States will discuss the proposals.

“The measures being proposed by the Commission reflect the view at high political level of the continued importance of the dairy sector to the EU and its willingness to provide as much support as possible to address the current volatile international dairy market situation”, stated Minister of State Killeen.

He added: “While prices remain at an unacceptably low level, the Irish Government, through Minister Brendan Smith, will continue to mobilise colleagues in the Council of Ministers for their continued support in favour of actions in the dairy market. Such action is absolutely essential to support the Dairy Sector through a difficult period. The Irish Government will continue to highlight the need to use in the most effective way possible all Market Management measures”.

Meanwhile, Minister Killeen has welcomed the decision of the Milk Management Committee to extend the private storage aid scheme for butter from 15th August, when the scheme would normally close, until 28th February 2010.

The scheme was introduced in January this year, two months ahead of schedule because of the difficult market situation.

Ireland Is Declared Brucellosis Free

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with special responsibility for Forestry, Fisheries and the Marine, Mr. Tony Killeen has warmly welcomed the EU Commission’s approval of Ireland’s application for official brucellosis free status.

“For some time, Ireland has been in a position to be declared Brucellosis-free because of the dramatic reduction in the incidence of Brucellosis over the past decade and because there has been no confirmed outbreak of this disease here since April 2006”, explained Minister of State Killeen.

The Fianna Fail TD for Clare described the EC’s approval as a “significant development” for Irish agriculture. He pointed out that securing Brucellosis-free status for Ireland would now enable the Department of Agriculture to reduce some of the control elements of the eradication programme over the coming years with a beneficial impact on farmers, particularly in relation to trade.

Minister of State Killeen continued, “I acknowledge that the eradication arrangements have been disruptive and costly both to farmers and to the Department of Agriculture, in terms of compensation and the substantial additional costs incurred on testing and other economic losses arising from the premature removal of infected cattle. Our combined efforts and success in combating Brucellosis is due to a number of factors, not least the full cooperation of all stakeholders with the eradication regime.”

Minister Killeen welcomed the confirmation from his colleague and Minister for agriculture Brendan Smith that a controlled reduction in the brucellosis eradication programme would take place over a period of years. He stated: “There will be an increase in the period of the pre-movement test from 30 to 60 days, while the age threshold for round testing will be increased to 24 months. However, in view of the greater risk attached to the movement, particularly the movement of breeding animals, the age limit for the pre-movement test will be retained at 12 months except in the case of bulls, for which the age limit is being increased to 18 months, given the lower risk of transmitting the disease.”

Minister Killeen said that the new arrangements would be implemented as soon as possible after the publication of the Commission Decision and the necessary amendments are made to national legislation.

Internet users warned about Revenue scam

Revenue today warned Internet users of a bogus email that lures people into sending personal financial information.

The scam first popped up in March with fraudsters contacting their victims claiming they are owed a tax refund and asking for credit or debit card details and date of birth, reports breakingnews.ie. “The email appears to have issued again today,” a spokeswoman said. “This email did not issue from Revenue. The Revenue Commissioners never send emails which require customers to send personal information via email or pop-up windows.”

Revenue asked anyone who receives a suspicious email to forward it to webmaster@revenue.ie.

(Click on above image to view the bogus email received today by Irish County News)

Minister Killeen Welcomes Pledge Of Support For Undocumented Irish

Minister of State Tony Killeen T.D. has warmly welcomed a pledge by a Congressional Delegation to support the case of the undocumented Irish in the United States.

The Chairman of the “Friends of Ireland,” Congressman Richie Neal, today offered the group’s support to the case of the undocumented and pledged to further assist efforts to foster economic relations between the US and Ireland. Mr Neal made his comments during bi-lateral talks between the Friends of Ireland Congressional Delegation and an Irish Parliamentary delegation.

According to Minister of State Killeen: “The status of the undocumented Irish remains an issue of the highest priority for me and one that I have raised at Government level both in Ireland and the US on numerous occasions. Indeed, I have previously met with Congressman Neal in Washington and am delighted that he has again offered to support the case of the thousands of undocumented Irish.” The County Clare Deputy added: “Many Irish people have settled in the USA but, unable to return home, they have been separated from their families and their homes for many years. I am particularly pleased that the Friends of Ireland Congressional Delegation have pledged their support to this important issue. The group’s commitment to advance the case of undocumented is very important and much appreciated".

This week’s bi-lateral talks centred on the case of the undocumented Irish in the US, the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, Ireland-US relations, International Fund for Ireland and the World Financial Crisis. Commenting during his visit to Ireland, Congressman Neal said: “The need for a strong relationship between Ireland and the US is now more important than ever. The Friends of Ireland Congressional Group has a long tradition of cultivating and supporting links between Ireland and the US, and during our meetings with the Ceann Comhairle, Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Party Leaders we have undertaken to continue this support. We have also agreed to advance the case of the thousands of undocumented Irish in the US. Many of these people have made lives for themselves in America and contribute positively to the communities they live in. We feel a way must be found to accommodate the needs of this group of people.”

The Friends of Ireland is a group of United States Congressmen, which promotes Irish interests in the US Houses of Representatives and helps to foster trade and cultural links between Ireland and the US.

Supermarket deliveries threatened by Kildare protest

Deliveries to Centra and Supervalu stores across the country could be disrupted by a protest being held at distribution centre in County Kildare.

Hundreds of angry farmers have descended on Musgrave distribution centre in Kilcock today in protest at the prices they are being paid for their produce.

The IFA says supermarkets are forcing farmers to sell them milk, meat and vegetables below the cost of production in a move that is putting their livelihoods at risk. Farmers have responded by blocking the entrance to the Musgrave centre, which distributes to Supervalu and Centra outlets around the country.

Junior doctors face longer working weeks

Junior doctors face longer working weeks if a new Labour Court directive is adopted.

The Court has issued a ruling on the working hours of junior doctors, which recommends that their working day and working week should be extended, and which severely limits the opportunity for doctors to earn overtime pay. Junior doctors are currently rostered to work from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 9 am to 4 pm on Friday. Any work they do at night and at weekends is considered overtime, reports irishhealth.com.

The recommendation, if implemented, will lead to major savings for the HSE in junior doctor overtime pay at a time when it is trying to cut payroll costs. The IMO is to meet later this week to discuss the proposal and will ultimately ballot its members on it. In excess of €260 milliion per annum is spent on junior doctor overtime.

In-store tobacco advertising ban to be enforced from tomorrow

A ban on the display and advertising of tobacco in retail stores will come into effect tomorrow.

Tobacco will now be placed in closed plain containers behind the counter.

Vending machines in pubs will be token operated and within the sight of the bar manager, reports RTE.

Bus Eireann cutbacks talks underway

Management and unions at Bus Eireann are today engaged in talks at the Labour Relations Commission in a bid to resolve a dispute over the company's cost-cutting plans.

A planned strike over the €30m cutbacks was deferred last week after the Commission invited both sides to discussions. Bus Eireann wants to shed up to 320 jobs and alter the working conditions of employees.

However, the company has agreed to suspend implementation of the cuts pending the outcome of the latest talks.

Antrim reach first Ulster football final in 39 years

Antrim 0-13 Cavan 1-7

Antrim will appear in the Ulster football final for the first time in 39 long years, following their shock win over Cavan at Clones. This three-point success may have been an upset, but no-one will dare begrudge the Saffrons their place in the sun on July 19, for they played Tommy Carr’s Cavan off the park and should have won by a much greater margin.

Four Paddy Cunningham points and two each from Michael McCann and Sean Burke did the trick for Liam Bradley’s men, but they were forced to hang on after substitute David Givney bagged a late Cavan goal. Source - Breakingnews.ie.

Two killed in Derry and Cavan

A woman in her 60s has died after a two-car collision occurred on the N3 near Cavan town yesterday evening.

The accident happened south of the town at around 5.30pm. Meanwhile, a man has also died after a collision occurred near Derry yesterday evening, reports breakingnews.ie. The crash happened at the junction between Culmore Road and Springfield Road shortly after 6.30pm.

Redundancy deal for DHL workers

SIPTU members at DHL have voted by 93pc in favour of the redundancy terms negotiated over the weekend.

The package involves six weeks pay per year of service and some additional regular allowances have been incorporated in the calculations, reports businessworld.ie. The package is inclusive of statutory redundancy entitlements.

Employees also have the option of becoming Service Partners with DHL in locations where depots are closing, such as Athlone, Cavan, Enniscorthy, Galway, Sligo, Tralee and Waterford.