Coveney announces new committee to assist commonage farmers

The first meeting of the new Commonage Implementation Committee will take place next Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said yesterday.

Joe Healy, a livestock farmer from Galway, a former president of Macra na Feirme, and a former chair of Athenry Mart, is chairman of the committee.

He will be assisted by two senior department officials with experience in this field and two technical experts, one from the Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht and one from Teagasc.

Also appointed is Andy McGarrigle, former head of the department’s Single Payments Scheme Entitlement Division, who retired earlier this year.

Mr Coveney said he was conscious of the concerns of many hill farmers and that his priority had been to get this committee up and running without delay.