This article is from page 38 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 38 JPG
CLARE’S Fianna Fail general elec- tion candidates have rowed in with their support behind the Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, after last week’s launch of the party’s new agriculture policy.
The new policy documents, which are called “The Next Steps Forward for Farming Communities’, were re- leased to the public last week and re- ceived a warm welcome from Clare Senator Brendan Daly and Minister Tony Killeen.
“The plan, launched by my Fianna Fail colleague, Agriculture Muinis- ter Mary Coughlan, sets out details of proposals covering all aspects
of farming and the food industry,’ commented Senator Daly.
“Fianna Fail believes that farming requires further sustained support at a time of great change. We’re com- mitted to ensuring that farmers’ in- terests remain a core priority for the next government.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen, described the publication as responsive to the needs and concerns of the Irish farming community.
“All farmers face the challenge of reducing the cost of inputs while striving to have high-quality market- able products, which will attract a premium price. Food producers face challenges from South America and
Australia, which can only be met by producing quality food that is attrac- tive to the consumer,” he said.
“The EU and World Trade poli- cies will change during the next five years. The Irish Government has set out its stall regarding how it will pro actively influence these changes. I am confident that the successes en- joyed by Irish food exporters, with the help of Bord Bia over the last five years, will be acted upon by the cur- rent farmer-friendly Government,” he added.
Senator Daly also used the publica- tion to take a stab at the agricultural policy adopted by other parties.
‘The Taoiseach was the only party leader to mention farmers in an Ard
Fheis speech this year,” he said.
‘“Labour’s recent comments on their hill-walking legislation showed that the alternative government doesn’t believe farmers should be consulted on matters that directly affect them.
“Our plan outlines a range of com- mitments, including support for the development of higher-value prod- ucts with more secure markets, the extension of country-of-origin la- belling, a strong position on EU and WTO negotiations and the improve- ment of a range of schemes designed to give farmers the freedom to farm as they decide.”
The policy in full can be viewed on www.thenextsteps.ie/farmingcom- munities.