End high business costs, says ICMSA
In a policy document distributed to its 20,000 members, the association says Government and civil and public servants allowed themselves to be unduly influenced with regard to policy on the environment and climate change. ICMSA believes this “political fad” led to a person from Birdwatch Ireland replacing their own farming representative on the influential European Economic Committee.
The association also took the opportunity to blame the economy’s near collapse on “the absence of serious and critical analysis”, singling out state agencies such as Teagasc and the universities for insufficient or non-existent research work on the agri-food sector.
As a result, according to ICMSA, the latest discussion on a proposed expansion of milk output in Ireland is superficial and occasionally misleading. Focusing almost exclusively on production and processing with very little or no attention given to marketing, expansion could end in huge losses for farmers, says ICMSA.
Enormous figures such as an overall investment requirement of over €800 million cited by the Irish Dairy Board raise fundamental issues about the return on such investment, according to ICMSA’s election document, but were completely ignored in the formation of public policy.
However, the document, in the name of ICMSA president Jackie Cahill, acknowledges that increasing international demand leaves the Irish farming and food sector capable of substantial growth — if the excessive costs of doing business in Ireland are removed. The association’s members will also tackle election candidates on the controversial issues of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s estimate that a farm inspection for compliance with EU and national rules costs €1,800, and farmers’ annual bill for interest payments of €400 million per annum, their third highest cost after livestock feed and fertiliser.
The document sets out 15 key issues that must be addressed by political parties and candidates and acted on by the new government.
* Next week: what farmers and the food industry want from the candidates.
