Chief Fire Officers issue Carbon Monoxide warning

The Irish Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) is urging householders to be aware of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide (CO) build-up in the home as part Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week 2014.

Significant Drop in Fire Fatalities during 2012

New figures from the Irish Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) show a dramatic reduction in the number of deaths from fires in Ireland so far this year.

Clare Road Safety Officer Issues Appeal

Clare’s Road Safety Officer has joined An Garda Síochána and counterpart officials from neighbouring local authorities in Roscommon, Galway and Mayo in making an appeal to road users following a sharp rise in road deaths and serious injuries in the region.

Grant Aid Scheme For Horticulture Development

Minister for Defence and Clare Fianna Fail T.D., Mr. Tony Killeen has welcomed the launch by the Department of Agriculture of the 2011 Grant Aid Scheme for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector.

The closing date for receipt of applications to the fourth round of the Scheme is Friday 18th February 2011 and only investments commenced after the issue of letters of approval will be eligible for aid.
 
This aid, which is set at 40% (50% in the case of young farmers) of total eligible capital investment, will fund projects in commercial horticulture undertaken during 2011. The scheme covers all horticultural sectors – protected crops, nursery crops, field vegetables, soft fruit, apples, beekeeping and, mushrooms.  
 
Minister Killeen explained that the scheme is aimed at assisting growers to efficiently produce high quality products to meet the increasing demands of a very competitive market.

“It will also contribute to increasing Irish fruit and vegetable consumption towards the recommended target of 5-a-day as part of a healthy diet”, he said.

The Minister continued: “There remains a continual need for the industry to adapt its production methods, both to minimise environmental effects and to benefit from adopting newer technologies. This scheme includes provision for increasing the uptake of green technologies, including water recycling, generating energy from waste and innovations based on plant production”.

Meanwhile, Minister Killeen has welcomed the launch by Bord Bia of their annual Performance and Prospects Report, indicating an 11 per cent increase, to €7.88 billion, in the value of Irish food and drink exports in 2010.

“I warmly welcome the strong performance of Irish food and drink exports in 2010 and the encouraging prospects for food, drink and horticulture in 2011. I am confident that the food, drink and horticulture sector will continue to perform strongly in 2011 with increased demand for dairy products, the maintenance in beef export values and good prospects for beverages, seafood and horticulture”, he concluded.

Details of the  2011 Grant Aid Scheme for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector and application forms can be obtained from Crop Policy, Production and Safety Division, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Administration Building, Backweston Campus, Young’s Cross, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, (01) 5058801/5058797 or at www.agriculture.gov.ie.

US Green Card Application Period Ends November 3

Minister for Defence and Clare T.D., Mr. Tony Killeen has reminded prospective Irish emigrants that the period for US Green Card application period ends on Wednesday 3 November at 5pm.

The diversity visa lottery program gives winning entrants an opportunity to apply for a permanent visa to live and work in the US. The program makes 50,000 visas available annually to applicants who meet eligibility requirements. In the 2008 and 2009 there were 167 and 201 successful Irish applications respectively.

Minister Killeen said he supported the advice issued by immigrant support groups in the United States for anyone thinking of coming to the US to avail of legal avenues that will allow them to live and work legally there.

He continued: “As my colleague Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Martin said on his recent visit to the USA, prospective Irish emigrants should not come to America without their papers in order. We must at all costs avoid a new generation of illegals in the United States.”

Meanwhile, Minister Killeen urged people to be extra vigilant about companies and websites that charge a fee for processing the application and especially those that guarantee results.

He added: “Not only are immigrants unnecessarily giving their money and their personal information to private companies, but often no application is actually filed for them and they loose their opportunity to submit an entry”.

“All applications go through the one official route which is a US Department of State website at www.dvlottery.state.gov . Applications can only be made online via this site and there is no charge to submit an application”, explained the Minister.

For more visit www.dvlottery.state.gov.

New Renewable Energy Project Launched In West Of Ireland

The Minister for Defence Mr Tony Killeen TD today launched the Regional Approaches to Stimulation Local Renewable Energy Solutions Project (RASLRES) on behalf of the Western Development Commission.

The launch took place in the Bunratty Castle Hotel in Clare.

RASLRES is a €3m multi-national European bio-energy project funded by the Northern Periphery Programme which seeks to build awareness of opportunities for rural communities to produce and supply locally produced biomass (wood, seaweed and energy crops) to towns and cities.

Speaking at the launch Minister Killeen said “This exciting project aims to provide business development support to rural biomass communities and will aid development of biomass supply chains through direct business and community engagement. The project has the potential to bring nearly €1 million funding to Ireland’s Western Region over its three year lifetime and support over 50 companies. While some of the other countries are pursuing various other renewable energy areas under this Programme, the WDC is focusing on the wood energy sector.”

The RASLRES project will address current barriers to market growth including low levels of market confidence, insufficient market information and limited technical and business skills, and actively tackle the issues at regional and local level.

The Minister said: “If the Western Region develops a vibrant wood energy sector, it will help stimulate rural development and create jobs. WDC research has shown that the West could develop an indigenous, sustainable, renewable energy resource delivering 11% of the region’s heat needs by 2020. Such growth will require over 470,000 tonnes of wood fuel per year and would also mean an additional €15 million per annum to the economy and create up to 900 additional jobs in rural areas. Importantly, it has the potential to provide €1.7 million each year to the West’s farming sector.”

The jobs created would be spread across the entire supply chain and result in additional activity to the benefit of private forest owners, forest contractors, haulage companies, plumbers, engineers, electrical companies etc.

”The spin off from the additional employment has the potential not only to revitalise many areas that are dealing with the fallout of the current economic climate but also on the green side, our carbon footprint will improve as the estimated CO2 emissions saved annually would equate to taking over 92,000 cars off our roads”, concluded Minister Killeen.

RASLRES is an international partnership which includes:
- Western Development Commission – Ireland
- Action Renewables – Northern Ireland, UK
- Environmental Research Institute, North Highland College – Scotland
- Municipality of Norsjo – Sweden
- Oceanrainforest Ltd – Faroe Islands
- VTT, Technical Research Centre – Finland

Irish CEO's Urge Green Approach To State Procurement Policy

A new coalition of Irish business leaders has issued an open letter urging the government to leverage the State’s €17bn annual procurement spend to develop the green economy.

The CEOs and managing directors of companies including Siemens Ireland, Airtricity, Ecocem, Glen Dimplex and Bord Gais have signed up to ‘Green for Growth,’ a coalition calling for the state to commit to buying greener goods and services to keep Ireland competitive domestically and internationally.

Other signatories include the chief executives and managing directors of Greenstar, Kingspan Renewables, Arup, Pierse Group, Durkan Homes, Wavebob, Gypsum Industries and Isover Ireland.

Coalition spokesperson Jeff Colley claims that tens of thousands of jobs could be created in Ireland if the state adopted a comprehensive green procurement policy: “If the government is serious about job creation and economic recovery, it has to get serious about stimulating green business,” he said. “The €17bn annual state procurement spend, as outlined in the Department of Finance’s submission to An Bord Snip, must be leveraged to develop a world-class market for green products and services in order to assist our economic recovery.”

The call to action by the Green for Growth coalition comes one week before the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government hosts the National Conference on Green Public Procurement, which coincides with the launch of the public consultation on green public procurement guidelines. The policy driving this is the renewed Programme for Government agreed in September 2009 pledges to “put in place new public procurement procedures and guidelines to ensure that green criteria are at the centre of all state procurement.”

Colley, the editor of Construct Ireland magazine and 2010 Green Leader award winner, said that the Irish economy would suffer further if the state failed to keep pace with the greening of procurement policies in Europe and beyond.

“The stakes are tremendously high,” he said. “Countries across the EU and North America are getting ambitious about buying green, so Irish businesses need to upskill quickly in order to compete successfully both at home and in the international markets for green goods and services. If we fail now to implement a robust green procurement policy we run the risk of being one of the least enabled greentech economies, and will forever be reliant on buying in products and expertise from abroad – continuing to haemorrhage money on imports when we should be making money on exports.”

Members of the Green for Growth coalition said they strongly welcomed the proposed initiative to be taken by the government to develop a green public procurement policy. They warned, however, that the policy must be robust and ambitious in order to:

- Ensure that Ireland develops the skills, services and products that we need to compete domestically and in export markets, thereby generating new greentech jobs in manufacturing and services. A robust green procurement policy will ensure the upskilling of Irish companies to sell goods and services into the EU, North America and many other markets where green procurement is already much further advanced than our own.
- Make the Irish economy more resilient and cost-effective, by taking the initiative and forcing reductions in unnecessary consumption of energy, water, mineral and other resources, whilst simultaneously reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, reducing water pollution and protecting eco-systems.
- Make Ireland more attractive in terms of inward investment, by reducing the cost of doing business here and reducing the risk of volatility in the supply and cost of energy, water and other resources along with waste disposal and pollution costs. A company's environmental performance is now a key concern for shareholders – therefore a greener Ireland is a more investable Ireland.
- Reduce the financial burden on the tax payer and consumer, because green procurement is cost-effective procurement. Investments in energy efficiencies, renewable energy and recycled materials can deliver a dividend every year for decades in the form of reduced energy costs, and reduced carbon levies and taxes.
- Promote the highest standards in green design that will cut unnecessary consumption and over-specification. The use of green and recycled materials will achieve significant reductions in the energy and environmental costs associated with manufacturing, processing and transportation of materials, particularly in the construction industry.
- Put Ireland forward as a positive exemplar of sustainable development for the rest of the world, showing that economic recovery and environmental protection are mutually dependent in a world faced with unprecedented resource depletion, pollution and climate change.

“In order to achieve these benefits it is essential that the government delivers truly ambitious and robust green procurement requirements across the public sector. Such requirements must be bold enough to significantly move the market to develop and produce world-class green products and services. If government ambition on the green economy is to be realised, the public sector, with its annual €17 billion purse, must now take the lead and generate the environment in which Irish businesses will be rewarded for green innovation”, concluded Colley.

Members of the ‘Green for Growth’ coalition signed the open letter at a press conference in The Alexander Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin 2 today.

Killeen Highlights Risk Of Forest Fires

Tony Killeen TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with responsibility for Forestry, today warned forest owners about the risk of forest fires.

Advising that the highest risk period occurs between February and June, when ground vegetation is dead and dry following winter, Minister of State Killeen added: “I would like to remind landowners of the greater danger of fire this year due to vegetation conditions following the hard winter. For this reason, landowners need to be particularly vigilant.”

The areas at highest risk from wildfire tend to be located adjacent to or within moorland areas. Dry periods and seasonal high winds in spring help create ideal conditions for wildfire to spread quickly through highly flammable moorland vegetation. Woodland located in the path of such fires can very easily be destroyed and young forest crops are particularly at risk of fire, given the small size of trees and their proximity to flammable ground vegetation.

In general, woodland located within improved pasture and grassland is at very low risk of fire occurrence, due to the type of vegetation involved, but for other types of land there are some simple, cost effective steps that forest owners can take to reduce the risk of fire damage to plantations. These steps include:

1) DO NOT LIGHT FIRES IN OR NEAR WOODLAND. Take care with other potential sources of ignition.

2) CHECK FIRE BREAKS. Inspect Fire Breaks surrounding plantations prior to the fire season and maintain them in an effective, vegetation free condition. Ideally Fire Breaks should be at least 6 metres wide.

3) INSURE YOUR CROP. All forest crops should be insured against losses by fire, which is one of the risks for which cover is available commercially. Forest owners are reminded that, with effect from 1st June 2009, the Reconstitution Scheme, administered by the Department, does not cover any fire or wind damage occurring after that date.

4) PLAN AHEAD. Fire Plans should be developed for all plantations, including a map showing access and assembly points for fire fighting personnel and equipment and potential sources of water. The plan should also include contact details for the emergency services, relevant forest management organisations, neighbouring landowners and forest owners in order to summon help should the need arise. Have fire-fighting tools such as beaters and knapsack sprayers to hand and ready to use.

5) DISCUSS WITH NEIGHBOURS. Cooperation between neighbouring landowners is vital to successful fire prevention. Explain your concerns regarding fire risk to neighbouring landowners. Owners of adjoining and neighbouring plantations should develop joint fire plans and share responsibility for guarding against fire.

6) BE VIGILANT. Forest Owners should be particularly vigilant following prolonged dry spells. A period of 24 hours is sufficient to dry out dead moorland vegetation following rain, where windy conditions exist. Where dry conditions persist, experience suggests that forest owners should be particularly vigilant at weekends, and at evening times, when land burning is most likely to take place. If fire is detected, do not delay, summon help immediately and activate fire plan. Do not rely on others to call the Fire Service, and remember that a rapid response by the emergency services is essential if damage to property is to be minimised.

7) REPORT LOSSES. If a plantation is destroyed or damaged by fire, the incident should be reported to the nearest Garda Station and to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Your local forestry inspector, forest manager, consultant or Teagasc advisor can advise on reinstatement measures.

Minister of State Killeen also reminded all landowners that it is an offence under the Wildlife Act to burn growing vegetation between 1 March and 31 August in any year, on any land not then cultivated, and said that if this simple rule was adhered to many costly and dangerous forest-fires would be avoided. He underlined that, in addition, Single Payment Scheme applicants who burn vegetation within this period could have their payments reduced.

Carers Gather For National Respite Weekend And Conference

Caring for Carers Ireland 19th Annual Respite Weekend and Conference will take place on Friday 26th to Sunday 28th February 2010 in the Radisson Blu Hotel Galway.

Over 500 family carers drawn from Ennis-based Caring for Carers Ireland’s network of 101 Carers Groups throughout Ireland will attend the conference, entitled ‘Sustaining Long Term Carers: A Fair Deal for Family Carers?’.

Representatives of Health and Social Care Providers, Policy Makers and Decision Takers are also scheduled to attend. Organisers say the issues for discussion will contribute to the national debate on the future of care provision in the community and strategies necessary to support care in challenging times.

Speakers scheduled to address the Conference include Minister Áine Brady TD, Department of Health and Children; Paschal Moynahan, Director Services for Older People, HSE West; Marian Harkin MEP; Minister Eamon O’Cuív; Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Prof. Joyce O’Connor, Patron, Caring for Carers Ireland, Chair of the Digital Hub and Dublin Inner City Partnership, and former President of the National College of Ireland; and Brigid Barron, Innovation and Programme Manager, Caring for Carers Ireland.

Caring For Carers Ireland Chairperson Eilish Smith said: "This coming weekend is about taking time out and letting others care for you for at least two days. The primary objective of the conference is to set out the vision of Caring for Carers Ireland in relation to future policy. The debate will further a deeper understanding of and commitment to the development of an integrated and co-ordinated community care service. It will also acknowledge the Family Carer as a key partner in care provision, in particular long term care in the community”.

“The issues for discussion at this conference will contribute to the national debate on the future of caring in the community and strategy to support a fair and equitable system for Family Carers in challenging times”, Ms. Smith added.

Mary McMahon, CEO of Caring For Carers Ireland added that Long Term Family Care Giving will be given special recognition at the Conference in Galway. She continued: “A special award will be presented to an outstanding family caregiver representing all caregivers, by Minister Aíne Brady. We warmly welcome the Government’s commitment, set out in the renewed programme for Government in October 2009, that it will continue to recognise and support the role of Family Carers who provide a vital service, not only for their own loved ones but for our community as a whole. Family Carers remain the backbone of community care in our changing society”.

Commenting on the work of Caring for Carers Ireland, Ms. McMahon stated: “The role of the organisation in providing a National Training Programme for Carers has been supported through Pobal by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Minister Eamon O’Cuív recognises the achievement of the Organisation who have completed training for 1084 Family Carers to date. There are over 161,000 Carers in Ireland who collectively contribute EUR2.5 billion to the national economy each year. Family Carers are dedicated people at all levels of society who care in the home for older people, people of all ages with disabilities and those with long term illness. Their role may involve a 24-hour-day seven-day-week commitment without respite and often lacking sustainable help or support.”

“Potentially, we may all be required to provide care for a family member at some stage in our lives. Yet, ultimately, we will all need care”, she concluded.

For more on the Caring for Carers Ireland 19th Annual Respite Weekend and Conference see www.caringforcarers.org.

Additional Support For New Entrants To Dairying

Junior Agriculture Minister and Clare T.D., Tony Killeen has confirmed plans by the Department of Agriculture to allocate the second of five annual increases of one per cent in milk quotas agreed under the so-called "health check" of the CAP reform.

One quarter of the increase or approximately 14 million litres will again be set aside to support new entrants to milk production. The balance will be allocated as a 0.75 per cent increase in quota on a permanent, saleable basis for every producer active on 1 April 2010.

According to Minister of State Killeen: “The Department’s consideration of how best to allocate this year's quota increase has been informed by a careful assessment of the impact of last year's allocation. The Department is keen to enhance the position of all milk producers, but has also paid close attention to the views of the farming organisations and ICOS on the implementation of last year's New Entrants Scheme. I am delighted to note that the Scheme has been received very positively, and that there is a desire to build on that success with a repeat of the process.”.

He continued: “The one issue that did emerge was the need to make provision for those who bought quota as new entrants in recent Trading Schemes. The Department has therefore decided to again use one quarter of the increase to support new entrants, and to earmark some of this amount for special allocations to suitably qualified Trading Scheme applicants".

The details of the scheme will be finalised and published shortly, but Minister of State Killeen indicated that he envisages similar arrangements to last year.

Potential new entrants will apply to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to participate in the scheme, and will be joined by those who purchased quota through the Milk Quota Trading Scheme as new entrants in respect of any of the last four milk quota years, including 2010/2011. On this occasion a maximum of 50 successful 'brand new' entrants will each receive allocations of 200,000 litres of quota. The balance of approximately 4 million litres will be divided equally between suitably qualified Trading Scheme applicants.

All applicants will be carefully chosen based on their own circumstances and their potential viability as dairy farmers. A comprehensive business plan will have to be submitted, and all applications will be subjected to a rigorous assessment by the same independent assessment group that adjudicated on last year's New Entrants Scheme.

Irish Primary Schools Can Save Hundreds Of Euro By Installing Waterless Technology

One of the Mid West Region’s best known primary schools has moved to reduce its annual water and sewer charges by installing waterless urinal systems.

The Model School in Limerick City invested in the systems, which were installed by brwaterless solution, to offset the scale of metered water charges that were introduced for all schools and educational centres in January. The Sligo-based company says that thousands of schools around the country are unwittingly flushing money down the toilet by using conventional toilets instead of newer waterless urinals.

The savings for the Model School has led brwaterless solution to develop the country’s first Pay As You Save (PAYS) programme for national schools interested in using the Waterless No-Flush systems.

According to Ortwin Reintjes of brwaterless solution: “The country’s National Primary Schools have been severely affected by the introduction of metered charges as many are not equipped with urinals for male pupils, necessitating toilet flushes for urination. The absence of installed urinals means that it is very difficult to reduce the level of water usage and the corresponding water and sewer charges”.

Mr. Reintjes said that the Model School will benefit from significant savings by its use of the system.

He explained: “The average conventional urinal uses between 50,000 and 150,000 litres of potable water per year. With only two Waterless No-Flush units installed, the Model School, based on its male pupil population of 250, will benefit from savings on water and wastewater charges of up to 350 euro per year, based on Limerick City Council water charges of EUR2.30 per 1000 litres. Outside of the obvious water conservation and commercial benefits for the school, the urinals also lead to increased hygiene as well as a significant reduction of CO2 emissions and maintenances costs.”

The urinals resemble conventional wall-hung urinal fixtures, but do not require a water supply or flush valve for their proper functioning. Gravity helps the flow into the urinal trap and into the drain line. The urinals, which can even be made of approximately 30 per cent of soybean resin, not only save water but help save natural resources and promote sustainability as well. Due to the dryness of the fixture, bacteria growth is inhibited and odours are eliminated through the minimal use of BlueSeal.

Commenting on the background to the PAYS scheme, Mr. Reintjes said: “On request, we evaluate how many litres of water per year and how much maintenance can be saved though the use of Waterless No-Flush system. The cost of the urinals is paid from part of the savings made on the reduced water charges. Fixtures are usually paid off within two years after which the schools keep on saving on water and sewer charges, along with reduced maintenance costs.”

Commenting on the environmental benefits of the scheme, Mr. Reintjes noted: “The world is becoming increasingly aware of the need to conserve water and to diminish waste water. Dwindling natural resources, climate changes, the need to reduce and/or conserve budget money plus behavioral changes have led to an increased awareness and desire to install water conserving fixtures. We intend rolling out the PAYS program to other schools throughout the country and look forward to the opportunity to speak with Boards of Management interested in finding out more about the systems and to save money.”

For more on brwaterless solution’s PAYS (Pay As You Save) program see www.brwaterless.ie, telephone 071-9150622 or email ortwin@brwaterless.ie.

2020 Strategy Welcomed By Killeen

The development of a long-term strategy for the agri-food, forestry and fisheries sectors will place the industries at the forefront of the country’s export-led economic recovery.

That is according to Junior Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Tony Killeen, T.D., who was speaking following the appointment of a Committee to lead the process and has also established a web-based public consultation process. The 2020 Strategy Committee, chaired by Dr Sean Brady, is broadly based and possesses a wide range of skills and experience. It is drawn from senior experts and participants in all aspects of the sector.

According to Minister of State Killeen: “The Committee has been tasked with drafting a short, sharp document which sets out the key strategies required for the future development of the sector. I believe that the very high calibre of the committee members will ensure that the output from this exercise will be both bold and practical and will set a clear path forward for the sector. The Committee has been asked to report by June 1st next”.

The Clare Fianna Fail T.D. noted that the agri-food, forestry and fisheries sectors were hugely important to the Irish economy and society as a source of jobs, exports and regional development. He expressed his belief that the sector could contribute significantly to Ireland’s economic recovery and provide long-term growth into the future.

Minister of State Killeen said that in order to facilitate and target consideration of key issues, a series of discussion and background papers had been prepared.

He continued: “These papers, which may be viewed on the Department website www.agriculture.gov.ie, outline the current situation and challenges facing the sector but equally importantly, pose a series of questions, the answers to which will form the core of our future strategy. Relevant stakeholders are invited to submit their views on how best to deal with some of the critical issues arising from these discussion papers”.

Details on how to make submissions are given HERE.

Budget 2010 Policy Seeks To Energy Upgrade Every Irish Building

The inclusion in the Irish Government’s Budget for 2010 of the ‘Save as You Pay’ green financing model has been hailed as a visionary decision by the campaigner who introduced the idea.

“Save as You Pay (SAYP) could enable us to energy upgrade virtually every building in Ireland over the next decade, so it is exactly the sort of policy that could help lift us out of recession,” said Jeff Colley, Editor of green building magazine Construct Ireland.

SAYP will enable cash-strapped homeowners and businesses to pay for energy saving measures through fixed repayments on their energy bills over several years.

According to Mr. Colley: “We introduced the idea of paying for energy upgrade work through utility bills over the summer because many people do not have access to savings or credit to get the work done. It was a question of right policy, right place, right time.”

Colley’s campaigning efforts resulted in SAYP being included in the renewed Programme for Government and the Institute of European Affairs Greenprint for a National Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. He noted: “We have been blown away by the level of public demand for this approach”.

80 per cent of Irish homeowners responding to a Construct Ireland/Amárach Research survey in August said they would be interested in paying for energy upgrade work through their utility bills. 58 per cent of homeowners said they did not have enough money saved to upgrade their home.

“If the majority of Irish homeowners can’t access the money to pay for energy upgrade work, a grant alone will be of limited use,” Colley said. “Even with a grant covering 30 per cent of the cost of a typical upgrade, we have to help people to find the remainder, be it through payments on their energy bills or by adding it to their mortgage”, stated Mr. Colley.

The response from utilities has already been encouraging, with Bord Gáis announcing plans in October to introduce a major energy efficiency home services initiative in 2010, which will offer homeowners a full-scale energy efficiency service with a range of separate products and services through an on-bill finance.

“Save as You Pay can become a major driver in Ireland’s economic recovery,” said Colley. “It will create jobs, reduce our 6bn euro energy import bill, dramatically cut our carbon emissions, and enable all Irish people to have comfortable, healthy homes”, concluded Mr. Colley.

IMAGE: Jeff Colley, Editor, Construct Ireland. Pic by David Ruffles

Killeen Says Budget 2010 Protects Farmers And Irish Agri-Food Sector

The Government’s Budget for 2010 has provided clear assurances that farmers’ livelihoods and the agri-food sector will be protected, according to Clare Junior Agriculture Minister Tony Killeen, T.D.

Reacting to Wednesday’s Budget, Minister of State Killeen noted that it protected the vital agricultural schemes and that a new agri-environment scheme would be launched next year.

He said: “The Government recognises the fact that the agriculture sector has experienced a particularly difficult year, with low commodity prices and poor weather impacting adversely on farmers' incomes. As a result it has decided to maintain spending on the Disadvantaged Area Scheme at the 2009 level of EUR220 million, continue the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme payments in 2010 at the 2009 rate of EUR40 per animal, and continue payments to existing REPS' participants and to launch a new agri-environmental scheme in 2010. Approximately EUR330 million will be spent on agri-environment schemes in 2010”.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Killeen said he was delighted that the Organic Farming Scheme, which has been temporarily suspended, will re-open on 1 January 2010. In addition, the provision for horticulture is being maintained at 2009 levels of EUR4 million, which will facilitate a call for new horticulture investment projects in 2010.

The Clare T.D. also confirmed that overall expenditure on forestry and bioenergy would increase in 2010 to more than EUR121 million. “This increase includes a capital provision of EUR116 million with an increased provision of almost EUR105 million for forestry planting and premia, demonstrating the Government's continued commitment to this vital sector, as set out in the recently revised Programme for Government”, stated Minister of State Killeen.

The estimate does not include EU funding of EUR1.34 billion, which will bring total expenditure by the Department in 2010 to over EUR3 billion. The Department has paid approximately EUR1.24 billion in the 2009 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) or 99 per cent of the total SPS budget.

Minister of State Killeen confirmed that significant funding will continue to be provided for the food industry in 2010 in the form of marketing and processing grant aid to meet commitments under the Beef and Dairy Investment Schemes, as well as through funding for investment in Research and Development. The Minister also warmly welcomed the decision of the Government to approve a EUR100 million fund to improve the food industry's competitiveness over the next four years.

The Minister confirmed that a number of new schemes under the revised Rural Development Programme (RDP), which are in negotiation with the European Commission, will be launched next year and, although significant expenditure is unlikely to take place until 2011,

The Supplementary Estimate, approved by the Dáil on Tuesday night, provided for an additional EUR15 million for the Farm Improvement Scheme in 2009, bringing to EUR30 million the total expenditure on the Scheme this year. The 2010 Estimate allocates a further EUR19 million to the scheme, an increase of EUR4 million (27 per cent) on the original 2009 allocation.

Fodder Aid Scheme For Flood Hit Farmers Is Announced

Tony Killeen T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has confirmed that 2 million euro is being allocated for a targeted fodder aid scheme.

The announcement is in addition to a wider humanitarian aid scheme, to which the Government has allocated 10 million euro.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister of State Killeen said: “The fodder scheme reflects an assessment undertaken by the Department’s Inspectorate, which indicates substantial flooding of farmland in the West, Midlands and South West. One of the problems likely to arise in this context would be a fodder shortage. While it is difficult, at this stage, to quantify those losses, it is clear the damaged fodder may cause a feed shortage problem on some livestock farms which, in turn, could give rise to financial hardship and potential animal welfare issues on these farms.”

The Clare T.D. added: “As a matter of urgency, Department officials are now preparing the outlines of a targeted fodder aid scheme to provide some financial support towards the purchase of alternative feed material to replace flood-damaged fodder. The scheme will require farmers to demonstrate that the fodder was damaged and the extent of that damage and that it is necessary to purchase feed supplies to prevent animal welfare problems.”

Upland Sheep Scheme Payments To Be Made In Early December

Tony Killeen T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has confirmed that special payments amounting to approximately 7 million euro will be made to 13,000 hill sheep farmers over the next two months.

Minister Killeen confirmed that he expected that Upland Sheep Payment Scheme payments worth in the region of 5 million euro would be made by the end of the year with the remaining 2 million euro being paid in early 2010. A further 54 million euro will be made available over the next three years in unused CAP funds to support incomes in the sheep sector.

The Clare T.D. said: “The Uplands Sheep Payment comprises unused funds from the Single Payment National Reserve. By creating this payment, the Government has recognised the difficulties and costs, including compliance costs, facing the sheep sector.”

“In addition to the 7 million euro payments being made over the next two months, the Department has allocated an additional 8 million euro for sheep fencing and mobile handling facilities to assist sheep farmers in reducing labour input, as part of a new targeted on-farm investment scheme”, added Minister of State Killeen.

The 2009 Upland Sheep Payment will be payable to farmers who declared their sheep under the 2007 and the 2008 Sheep Census; declared Mountain Type Grazing under the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme; and were eligible for and were in receipt of payment under the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. The maximum area payable is 15 hectares of mountain type grazing.

Department Of Health Confirms Tenth Swine Flu Related Death

A woman in the south has become the tenth person to die from human swine flu in the Republic of Ireland.

The Department of Health and the HSE confirmed this evening that the woman died from the H1N1 virus reportS RTE. The woman had an underlying health condition, but the department have not released any further details relating to her death.

Minister for Health Mary Harney has offered her sympathy to the family and friends of the woman.

Killeen Presents 2009 Irish Forestry Awards

Mr. Tony Killeen TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with responsibility for forestry, presented the 2009 RDS/Forest Service Irish Forestry Awards at a ceremony held in Kilkenny Castle last night.

The Awards recognise and reward farmer foresters and other forest owners who employ the basic principles of Sustainable Forest Management on their properties, including sound commercial management, environmental protection, biodiversity and social amenity. There are two main categories for which awards are presented - the Farm Forestry category and the Bio-Diverse Forest/Woodlands category. There is also a Special Judge's award, which may be made, at the discretion of the judging panel, in recognition of outstanding achievements by individuals within the industry.

The winner of the Farm Forestry category in 2009 was Mr. John O'Connell, Limerick with 2nd place going to Mr. Sean Ronan, Kilkenny and a Merit Award in this category going to Mr. Ambrose Kilcline, Co. Roscommon. Kerry County Council were the winners in the Bio-diverse Forest/Woodland category. 2nd place was awarded to Declan and Yvonne Foley of Sligo, while Merit Awards were presented to Mr. Derek Felton, Dublin and Mr. Vincent Slevin, Mayo. A Special Judges Award was made to Jan Alexander of Cavan, in recognition of the "close to nature methods" that are being applied to her plantation and also because of her contribution to Irish forestry over the years. Jan is chairperson of Pro Silva Ireland and a founding member of CRANN.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of State Killeen thanked the RDS for its organisation and promotion of the prestigious awards scheme, in partnership with the Department. He noted that the profile of the awards had increased within the forest industry, since they were first awarded 22 years ago.

Minister of State Killeen highlighted the ongoing and increasing importance of forestry and the need to raise the general awareness of the importance of the sustainable management of Ireland’s forests from a commercial, social and environmental point of view. Presenting the Awards, the Minister of State added: "I would like to congratulate the category winners and hope that the acknowledgement and reward of excellence through these Awards will continue to create awareness of what is required to manage our forests to the highest standards possible and indeed the high standards that can be achieved".

Milk Super Levy Situation For August

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, Tony Killeen TD, has announced that based on estimated milk deliveries as submitted by milk purchasers for the period up to 31st August 2009, Ireland is 9.00% under quota when account is taken of the butterfat content of milk deliveries during the same period.

The milk super-levy and milk quotas were introduced in 1984 marking the first major changes to the CAP since Ireland's entry to the EEC. Sheep and sucker cow numbers increased as a result.

Ireland’s milk quota position is published on the Department’s website Under ‘Publications’, followed by the relevant year.

EU Committed To Supporting Dairy Sector Says Killeen

Junior Agriculture Minister Tony Killeen, T.D., has welcomed a commitment by the European Commission to take further emergency action in the event of market volatility in the milk sector.

The Fianna Fail TD for Clare was speaking after an emergency meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels yesterday, which follows weeks of protest over the decline in milk prices. He said: “This meeting provided an opportunity to Member States and the Commission to have a full and open discussion on the very difficult market situation being faced by dairy producers. Among the matters discussed by Ministers were proposals put forward by France and solutions suggested earlier by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm in charge of farm policy.”

Minister of State Killeen added: “I recognise that the Commission has been quick to deploy aid to private storage, intervention and export refunds to support the sector to date. However, the fact is that these measures, while stabilising the market, have proved insufficient to lift the market. It is reassuring to see that significant progress is now being made on advancing proposals from a large number of Member States. I am especially delighted to learn that EU Agriculture Commissioner Ms Fischer Boel has confirmed that a proposed high-level group of experts will begin meeting next week to look at medium and long-term solutions including contractual issues between producers and dairies and a possible dairy futures market”, he stated.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Killeen welcomed the Commission declaration that stocks of butter and skimmed milk powder would not be released from intervention until the market situation had been stabilised. The Agriculture Council is scheduled to return to the situation of the milk market at its next meeting in Luxembourg on 19th October.