Farmers disappointed at ‘no proposals’ to increase capacity to produce food

IFA president Tim Cullinan was speaking after meeting with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue on Monday.

(PA) (PA Archive)

Farmers have expressed disappointment that the Minister for Agriculture had no proposals for increasing capacity to produce food.

The Irish Farmers’ Association met with Charlie McConalogue in Dublin on Tuesday evening.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the IFA urged that the minister came forward with “real proposals that will increase capacity, not just soundbites”.

The IFA was to present a number of proposals at the meeting.

They called for tackling of input costs – particularly fuel, fertiliser and feed.

However in a statement after the meeting, IFA president Tim Cullinane said that the minister came to the meeting with no proposals.

“We didn’t see any specific proposals required to increase our capacity to produce food. We need real Government action on the price fuel, fertiliser and feed,” he said.

He said farmers will play their part in any national effort, but the crushing impact of rising input prices has to be addressed.

“At our AGM in January, I called on the minister to pull the sector together to set up a task force on inputs,” he said.

“While the minister has belatedly done this, he needs to come forward with concrete, funded proposals.”