Relevant Matter
Matters involving public funds
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 Jan, 2025 to 30 Apr, 2025
Specific Details
Unharvested Potato Crops
Intended results
To highlight the issue of unharvested potato crops. While acknowledging that the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine met with growers who were affected last July, the situation has not improved for these growers who have unharvested crops from last season.
To emphasise that this issue is causing a huge financial and mental toll on those affected. The saleable yield from the crops affected was negligible and did not cover even a proportion of the cost of production.
That, although the 2024 season was more promising, the financial impact of unharvested crops has left affected growers very vulnerable. Some of these growers could not plant crops in 2024 because of financial difficulties and this has had a knock-on effect into this season.
That, the cost of growing an acre of potatoes was at an all-time high last season according to the Teagasc report . IFA has furnished the detail of this with Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine officials making the case for a compensation fund for the affected growers.
To seek a meeting between affected growers and the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine to discuss this urgent matter further.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Francie Gorman IFA President, Sean Ryan IFA Potato Chair, Niamh Brennan IFA Senior Policy Executive
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (2-5)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Amii McKeever
Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Barry Cassidy
Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)