The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 19 Jan, 2024

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Agriculture

Period 1 Sep, 2023 to 31 Dec, 2023

Specific Details Horticulture Sector Supports

Intended results To highlight how the sector has been in disarray for a long time and is continuing to lose growers from the industry. Input costs have increased and weather conditions are extremely difficult, in particular with outdoor winter crops, which will result in yield reductions and crop losses. To highlight that the EU Commission has provisionally allocated Ireland with €9.5m of funding from the agricultural reserve. These funds are earmarked to support sectors impacted by adverse weather, high input costs and market related issues. To highlight that the Commission also granted Member States the scope to complement agricultural reserve funding with 200% funding from the National Exchequer. The Minister must leverage off this and ensure that any exceptional aid is topped up with additional funding in the forthcoming Budget. To challenge that, while the Horticulture Support Scheme is welcome, the fact that some growers will not qualify needs to be rectified in this essential support package. A support scheme with unknown payment rates does little to alleviate the financial pressure that all growers are under. The important white mushroom production sector and the vast majority of Irish grown strawberries appear to be excluded from this support scheme and this needs to be rectified. To propose that, by not putting national funding alongside the €2.383m EU Agricultural Reserve for the horticulture sector was a missed opportunity by the Minister that needs to be rectified in the upcoming Budget 2024.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Niall McCormack IFA Fruit and Vegetable Chair, Pat Carroll IFA Tipperary South Chair

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.

Email (2-5)

Meeting (1)

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.

Brian Leddin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Charlie McConalogue Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Claire Kerrane TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Denis O'Donovan Senator (Seanad)

Jackie Cahill TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Flaherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Johnny Mythen TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Lynn Boylan Senator (Seanad)

Michael Collins TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Ring TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Paul Kehoe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Tim Lombard Senator (Seanad)

Victor Boyhan Senator (Seanad)

Barry Andrews MEP (European Parliament)

Billy Kelleher MEP (European Parliament)

Chris MacManus MEP (European Parliament)

Ciarán Cuffe MEP (European Parliament)

Clare Daly MEP (European Parliament)

Colm Markey MEP (European Parliament)

Deirdre Clune MEP (European Parliament)

Frances Fitzgerald MEP (European Parliament)

Grace O'Sullivan MEP (European Parliament)

Luke Ming Flanagan MEP (European Parliament)

Maria Walsh MEP (European Parliament)

Mick Wallace MEP (European Parliament)

Sean Kelly MEP (European Parliament)