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 “Replacing local fresh high quality produce with foreign imports is crippling the Irish Farming Community” stated Deputy Noel Coonan
North Tipperary‘s farming community is being brought to its knees by a Fianna Fail Government, which continually fails to protect farmers and the food industry, according to Deputy Noel Coonan. The Deputy’s comments relate to issues between supermarkets and Irish food producers, current milk prices and low beef prices.
Deputy Coonan stated:-
“We saw frustrated potato farmers stage a protest at a meeting of senior Tesco officials during the week in Meath where they voiced their just concerns over the importation of potatoes from abroad. The decision to replace local fresh produce with imports affects not just farmers but those working in delivery and packaging too. The Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith has to take adequate steps to protect this indigenous vital industry and immediately outline the Government’s plans to protect jobs in the industry. The farming community has the potential to play a strong role in revitalising the economy. The frustration felt by potato farmers echoes from dairy and beef farmers too. Liquid milk producers are losing out severely per litre for every litre they produce. Beef farmers also need a higher share of the consumer spend on the products they supply. Producers are not being rewarded for their efforts and are effectively being forced off the land. The margin is too great between what farmers sell and what the supermarkets sell it for. Minister Smith has previously described the agri-food sector as Ireland’s most important indigenous sector, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout every county in the country, at both producer and processor levels. Yet we see farmers facing cut after cut which hinders the development of the sector. The Government is doing nothing to stem the drift from the land when the country really needs agriculture to drag it out of this current recession.
Fine Gael Agriculture Spokesperson Michael Creed TD has questioned Minister Smith on how he proposes to protect and increase jobs in the food industry in view of threats posed to employment in the sector by the major multiples. This is an issue that is of grave importance and we will continue to question and press the Minister until we get an adequate reply.”
Deputy Coonan said that in contrast Fine Gael recognises the potential of the agri-food sector to stimulate job creation and economic growth and the party is committed to ensuring that Irish producers are competing on a level playing field with other countries.
 Frank Mockler, a local farmer from Thurles in Co. Tipperary, suggested to those assembled at the recent AIB bank’s AGM that the “top brass” in AIB should now be welded to wind turbines to stand as “rotating monuments to our national greed”.
Some shareholders present were highly amused at his vision, but Mr Mockler, who was attending his first bank AGM, having driven over 100 miles from his home, was far from gleeful. Mr Mockler, who had travelled to attend the event with his friend and fellow shareholder, Denis Walsh, continued “When our children ask what became of our accumulated wealth, we can use the well known lines from the Bob Dylan lyric, ‘the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind’,” he stated.
Mr Mockler, together with his friend had both lost considerable funds as a result of their misplaced trust in AIB investments. While not depending on this money, Mr Mockler had hoped to pass it on to benefit his families future, and watching a wind farm operating near his home had given him the inspiration for his turbine idea.
 Certificates in Meat Hygiene were presented to food technical staff of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at a ceremony attended by An Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD on Saturday, 25 April last.
The graduates completed nine modular courses at certificate level at Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre over the last number of years and were awarded FETAC certificates in Meat Hygiene.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Teagasc Director, Professor Gerry Boyle stated:
“The safety of Ireland’s food supply is paramount, not only for the consumer and to protect public health, but also for the sustainability of the food industry. The 250 officers who receive their Certificates in Meat Hygiene today play an important role in ensuring the safety of our food chain.
Martin Long, Thurles, County Tipperary received a special ‘Theoretical Examination’ award
The course at Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre provided over 600 hours of training to technical staff of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to the standards of the EU Directive 91/497/EEC. It covered both the theoretical and practical aspects of meat hygiene. Course modules covered included: animal welfare, anatomy and physiology, basic pathology and disease, and food borne illnesses.
 South Eastern Cattle Breeding Society Limited, Thurles, Co.Tipperary are one of two Irish companies who have now been approved for to export bovine semen into China.
In order to allow the export of bovine semen from Ireland to China, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food had to satisfy the requirements of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ).
Junior Agriculture Minister, Tony Killeen T.D. described the news as a hugely significant development for the sector. Minister Killeen stated:-
‘For the first time, the large and potentially lucrative Chinese market has been made available to Irish companies who can offer quality genetics in Irish bovine semen to Chinese customers. This development proves that Ireland is now globally recognised for having an advanced animal breeding structure and I am confident that more Irish companies will be approved in the future by the Chinese authorities. I also wish to pay tribute to the work of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) in ensuring that livestock breeding in Ireland has benefited from the application of the latest technologies to the livestock breeding sector’.
This market was secured following two visits to Ireland by Chinese officials who carried out rigorous and detailed inspections of the South Eastern Cattle Breeding Society Limited.
 Significant funding has been announced to-day for the three cattle marts in North Tipperary.
Cattle Marts in Thurles, Nenagh and Roscrea will receive almost half a million euro to carry out works to make their facilities even more environmentally compliant. The three marts named, together with funding announced, are as follows:-
Mid Tipperary Co-Op Mart , Thurles – €231, 222 .00.
Central Auction services Co-Op, Roscrea – €147,674.00.
Central Auction services Co-Op, Nenagh – €115,791.00.
This funding comes as part of the Department of Agriculture’s ‘Marketing and Processing Scheme’.
Other Tipperary enterprises to benefit from the scheme are:-
Darcy Meats in Nenagh.
Con Traas Organic Fruits in Cahir.
Both businesses gain grants of €219,806 and €109,495 respectively for capital improvements.
Welcoming these funding allocations, Independent North Tipperary Deputy Michael Lowry speaking to Thurles.Info stated:
“Investment in the Tipperary agri-food sector is vital for the development of our local economy. Tipperary is rightly proud of its reputation as a top quality food producer for both the Irish and export markets. This funding will go towards the further enhancement of Tipperary’s superior food producing reputation and ensure that local enterprises in this sector continue to flourish. The investment in the three Tipperary Marts is particularly pleasing as the Mart still remains at the core of agricultural life in the county.”
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