East Cork farmers against plc retail plans
Glanbia Co-op shareholders’ representative Oliver Manley, who lives within 2½ miles of the Glenville branch, said farmers don’t want to end up depending on delivery trucks for feed and fertiliser. He said the east Cork and west Waterford catchment area, centred around Castlelyons, supplies about 27 million gallons of milk annually to Glanbia, and it has an unusually high proportion of relatively young farmers. There are 40 farmers aged under 45 within four miles of Glenville, according to Mr Manley.
Farmers fear that without investment, branches will be run down and closed.
They have had meetings with their representatives all the way up to the Glanbia plc chairman Michael Walsh. The 14 farmers among the 20 board members of Glanbia plc (which is more than 50% owned by the Glanbia farmer’s co-op) have also been lobbied in a campaign for farmer branch services in east Cork.
The region had seven branch retail premises in 2001, but Conna, Ballincurrig and Ballyduff — all in the Cork-Waterford border area — have since been closed.
In 2005 came a commitment to retain retail and provide farm and feed services at Castlelyons, Glenville and Tallow (a small shop also continues at Upper Glanmire, in the outskirts of Cork city, where most of the sales are non-farming related).
The 2005 plan included bulk feed and fertiliser investment at Glenville, which has not been carried out.
But these services are available at Castlelyons and Tallow.
Oliver Manley says Glanbia’s branches at Castlelyons, Glenville and Tallow are operating profitably, and farmers will insist that three branches are maintained and improved in east Cork to serve their needs, including bulk feed and fertiliser stores at Glenville.
He said farmers want store locations that are within reasonable distance, well stocked and managed. Availability of bulk fertiliser enables farmers to save €20 per tonne of fertiliser, he said. Bagged fertiliser presents problems for farmers because there is no recycling scheme for the plastic bags.
He pointed out that planning permission has been granted for bulk facilities at Glenville, which would cost only €300,000 for five bays, and urged Glanbia to put this in place before the end of the year.
IFA in the region also supports the provision of full services for farmers by Glanbia.
