Ireland’s best tillage crop on borrowed time
At the first of a series of information meetings, IFA Beet Section chairman Jim O’Regan warned growers in Cork Monday night that the reform may have been written to suit the 60% import tariff cut now being offered by Trade Commissioner Mandelson in WTO talks, and that Commissioner Fischer Boel will pull out all the stops to drive the sugar reform through before the big WTO summit in Hong Kong.
He said IFA and Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan are liaising with the other 10 countries which, with Ireland, form a blocking minority in the Council of Ministers which is holding up the sugar reform.
They will be on guard against deals offered by the Commission to swing votes in, for example, Spain or Poland, which between produce nearly 25% of the EU’s sugar beet.
It’s the first time ever that an EU reform proposal is on course to wipe out a farm enterprise, said Jim O’Regan.
He warned that a dangerous precedent would set for Irish agriculture, if we cave into Brussels pressure to accept sugar reform. But the immediate pain would be felt by growers, who are getting up to €1,260 per acre for beet this year (when transport subsidies in the Carlow supply area are included).
Growers could also lose up to one tonne per acre of cereal yields attributed to sugar beet’s rotational benefits.
IFA has submitted a detailed list of demands to save the Irish sugar industry to Minister Mary Coughlan, and Jim O’Regan called on her to be very strong in her rejection of the proposals, and on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to intervene if necessary by contacting other heads of state.
IFA beet grower meetings continue at the following venues (all at 8pm):
Thursday, November 10 at Horse and Hound, Ballinaboula, Co Wexford
Monday, November 14, Montague Hotel, Portlaoise
Tuesday, November 15, Dolmen Hotel, Carlow
Wednesday, November 16, Terry Brennan’s, Claregalway, Co Galway
Thursday, November 17, Community Centre, Ardfert, Co. Kerry and Conyngham Arms Hotel, Slane, Co. Meath.
