Month: June 2008

THE countdown is well and truly underway for the biggest farming event so far this year as FarmFest and BioEnergy ‘08 threatens to enve- lope Athenry in County Galway this week.

An estimated 40,000 farmers are expected to invade Teagasc’s 30 hec- tare Mellow’s Campus on Friday, with the highlight for many likely to be Ireland’s first ever BioEnergy ex- hibition.

More than 400 exhibitors will showcase all aspects of Ireland’s ever changing countryside in a spectrum of attractive tented villages and ex- hibition spaces. The BioEnergy ex- hibition is being presented jointly by Teagasc, Coford and Sustainable En-

ergy Ireland (SEI) and will feature a tented village and outdoor exhibition space where displays, from biomass stove and boiler and equipment and fuel suppliers, will be central.

Bioenergy experts will also set up workshops and give practical dem- onstrations and field excursions to visitors.

Bioenergy and wood based fuels have a key role to play in finding workable and cost effective solutions to fossil fuel dependency in Ireland and so FarmFest & BioEnergy ‘08 will be of interest to land owners, home owners, businesses, forestry managers professionals and entre- preneurs alike who want to find out more about bioenergy crops and the emerging forest fuel market.

With Biomass having the potential

to meet up to 10 per cent of our en- ergy needs by 2010, to redirect hun- dreds of millions of euro to the Irish economy, create over 4,000 new jobs and assist in rural development by providing new markets in the farm- ing and forestry sectors, the BioEn- ergy Village at FarmFest & BioEn- ergy ‘08 promises to be a focal point for visitors.

“Equally important to the finan- cial benefits are the environmental benefits of developing Ireland’s vast bioenergy resources as they will also contribute to meeting national and international renewable targets, cli- mate change mitigation policies and waste policies which is good news for everyone,’ said Nuala Ni Fhlatharta of Teagasc.

As well as the BioEnergy Exhibi-

tion, Farmfest & BioEnergy °08 will see a variety of tented villages and Open-space exhibits on dairy, cattle, sheep and tillage enterprises and en- vironmental and sustainability.

A forestry village will also be set up where exhibitors will be on hand along with the forestry development unit to show visitors how forestry can be used as a land use option, how to improve genetic source and timber quality and there will also be live demonstrations of forestry harvest- ing and chipping all day long.

THE General Secretary Designate of the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, Eamon Devoy has welcomed the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by the Irish people. “The na- tional executive of our union recom- mended a ‘No’ vote in the referen- dum and it now seems clear that this has happened,” he said.

“The TEEU favours a social Eu- rope, but unfortunately recent key judgements by the European Court

of Justice show that the pendulum has swung against workers’ rights and in favour of big business. In the circumstances, it would be foolish to provide the institutions of the Euro- pean Union with any more power,’ | aTemncy-N (6

Devoy added that the union’s con- cerns were heightened by the refusal of the Government to give any com- mitment to SIPTU to vindicate the right to collective bargaining of Irish workers if they voted for the treaty.

“We have seen a sustained attack on

working conditions since the adop- tion of the Nice Treaty. Why would workers vote for more of the same?”’

He added that until such time as the Irish Government is “prepared to recognise the right of workers to collective bargaining and the con- comitant right to organise and take industrial action in defence of their living standards, the TEEU will not support institutional reforms that only strengthen big business.”

The TEEU is the country’s largest craft union with 45,000 members

and the largest such union in manu- facturing, construction, energy, engi- neering and electrical contracting.

Meanwhile, SIPTU is expected to talk to the members before making any official statement on the matter. Union sources said yesterday that the fact that the Taoiseach Brian Cowan “was able to give assurances to the IFA but couldn’t reassure trade union members speaks volumes”.

The source said that SIPTU’s posi- tion is still that the treaty as is stands is flawed in relation to issues such as

collective bargaining.

‘People’s suspicions were re-in- forced that this was going to be a treaty in which business interests would be fast-tracked and workers’ rights put on the back burner,’ the source said.

SIPTU made its initial recommen- dation on the treaty after consultation with members “and taking on board their concerns in relation to workers’ rights”, the source added.

It is expected SIPTU will make no immediate public statement.

SINN Féin in the county was in jubi- lant mood this week, despite losing the local battle on Lisbon.

While the referendum was narrow- ly accepted in the Banner County, an overall “‘No’ throughout the country gave the party much reason to cel- Ce) elkon

Sinn Féin’s county spokesperson Cathy McCafferty thanked the par- ty’s members and supporters.

Ms McCafferty said, “We are de- lighted with this result. The people

have spoken and their views must be respected. Our activists in Clare and throughout the State have put in an enormous amount of work in recent months to secure this result and I would like to thank them all on be- half of all the party in Clare.

“In addition, our supporters who helped with canvassing, pestering, did a wonderful job and deserve to be commended.

“It would have been the icing on the cake of this win if we had won in Clare as well, but given the size and resources of the larger parties,

it was a major achievement to have come so close to securing a ‘No’ in Clare,” she said.

‘Politicians are duty-bound to both provide leadership and to reflect the wishes and opinions of the electorate and it now falls to the Government to address the concerns of the peo- ple instead of trying to push through proposals which are not in the peo- ple’s interests.

“This result has shown that the electorate share our concerns over the direction of Europe and also that they agree with us that our place in

Europe is secure and will continue to be. The Government now has a clear and strong mandate to renegotiate this treaty.

‘They need to use the opportunity to get back around the table with our EU partners and secure a better deal,” she added.

“Throughout this referendum cam- paign, three key issues came up over and over again – Ireland’s loss of power in Europe, neutrality and the lack of information.

‘People were also concerned at the race to the bottom in wages and con-

ditions and the opening of key public services to competition. The Govern- ment now have a huge responsibility to secure a better deal which will ad- dress these areas of concern.

“We believe that a better deal is possible and Sinn Féin will give any assistance we can to Government as they undertake this task and we will also be engaging with the trade union movement, farmers, business and civic society to encourage them to use their influence to ensure that the Government secures the best deal possible.”

, It makes it much more dif- ficult for Irish ministers to transact business as successfully as in the

past.

“The wider European view is that we have been by far the biggest ben- efactor and they do not understand why we would make it more difficult for Europe to function more effec- tively and efficiently.”

While disappointed with the over- all ‘No’ vote, the Clare Fianna Fail TD was happy with the Clare posi- OA om USI EO Le

“Tt certainly indicates that the ma- jority of the people of Clare realise that Europe needs to have systems in place that allow it to operate more ef-

fectively.”

Asked if there 1s likely to be a Lis- bon II, as in the case of Nice, the jun- ior minister said he believed that was not likely at the moment.

“If we see a few more countries ratifying, then the threat to Ireland is much greater. If no one else rati- fies it, then maybe we can find more common ground.”

Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Deputy Pat Breen said that the Gov- ernment must accept responsibility for the rejection of the treaty.

“IT welcome the decision by the people of County Clare to support the Lisbon Treaty. I thank the people of Clare who have risen above their local concerns because they recog- nise the important role that Ireland’s membership of the EU has played since we joined the union in 1973,” |aTemsy-H (6b

‘Fine Gael played an active part in the campaign here in County Clare and I take this opportunity to especially thank the Fine Gael vot- ers in County Clare who once again showed their true party patriotism,

putting the future of the country ahead of their own frustrations with this Government’s failure to deliver.

“While Clare has said “Yes’ to Lis- bon, the decision by the people of Ireland overall to reject the treaty is disappointing. The credibility of the political system is being destroyed by fairytales of the previous Taoiseach at the Mahon Tribunal and they are further undermined by the unques- tioned support that was given by the current Taoiseach and his band of ministers for these fairytales,” said the Fine Gael TD.

A MONDERNISED three — bed- roomed semi-detached home on Quay Road, Clarecastle, has come on the books with Location Location Carrig Maleady.

The property is only a stroll from the village and it’s amenities, which include shops, a church and the Shan- non/Limerick bus stop.

Ennis is only a few minutes drive from the doorstep and the bypass is also within very easy reach.

The property is situated in a quiet cul de sac development. Features include new wiring, plumbing, etc; an attractive spacious site; a side en- trance; Beech shaker fitted kitchen; polished wood flooring; solid block construction; off-street parking and parking to side; tarmac driveway; Sunroom; two bathrooms.

This well presented and spacious property would make an ideal home or investment.

The entrance hall has solid teak en- trance door (glass panelling), carpet- ed stairs to first floor, new laminate wood flooring, telephone point and door leading to main sitting room and study.

The sitting room has new laminate wood flooring, feature brick pointed fire place tv point, built in shelving USD LAE The study has red deal T&G flooring and fitted shelf unit.

In the kitchen there is a modern fully fitted beech shaker kitchen in-

corporating oven, hob, tiled splash back, plumbed for dishwasher and washing machine.

The diningroom/sunroom has tiled flooring, red deal t&g ceiling, sliding patio door to rear garden.

In the bathroom there is a bath with electric shower, wc, whb, tiled floor to ceiling, mirror and shelving units.

On the first floor there are three bedrooms. They all have t&g pol- ished wood flooring and fitted ward-

robes. In the main bathroom there is tiled floor to ceiling, wc, whb, bath with pump shower.

Outside there is a concrete drive, an entrance gate, a garden to the front, garden shed, private and mature gar- den to rear, it is not overlooked to aero

Viewing is strictly by appoint- ment with Location Location Car- rig Maleady only and it is priced at €205,000.

RESIDENTS of the Acha Bhile housing estate in Ennis fear that they will be left carrying the can for thou- sands of euro in repairs for faulty and dangerous fireplaces.

More than 14 houses in the new es- tate have been without heating since a serious house fire last November raised questions over safety.

However, a number of residents in the new eco-home development have expressed concern that their claims are “not being taken seriously” by UK-based warranty company Pre- mier Guarantee.

After bringing the matter to the at- tention of contractors Cronan Nagle, residents decided to pursue the mat- ter through the UK-based insurance firm.

“We weren’t 100 per cent sure what was happening. Nobody was telling us anything but after that incident in November, Bord Gais came out to each of the houses affected and dis- connected the fireplaces.

“Nobody would tell us what was going on except that the fireplaces had to be disconnected,” said resi- dent David Morgan.

“We are really worried that we are going to be left carrying the can for Wenn

“We are not getting any answers

about this from anyone and it is very frustrating.

“T contacted Clare County Council, I’ve contacted Bord Gais, Cronan Nagle and the Commission for En- ergy Regulation and eventually came to realise that I was going nowhere. Now we don’t know exactly where we are going to proceed because the warranty company in the UK are not being forthcoming with any in- formation as to how they are going to honour the contract that we have with them.

“It’s very frustrating to invest a quarter of a million in an eco-friend- ly home and then be told that your fire is not going to work.”

In a correspondence to Pamela Marchant-Ragan of Premier Guaran- tee, Acha Bhile resident Sean Keane outlines his annoyance at the situa- tion.

“My frustration at this stage is un- paralleled and I do not feel my claim is being taken seriously at all.

“I have been very patient to date in these negotiations and have tried to avoid a legal route so that we may reach an amicable resolution,’ he said.

A CRECHE that provides services for 42 children is to close in Ennis with the loss of 16 jobs.

The Department of Finance has confirmed that the Ennis Civil Serv- ice Créche, Kilrush Road, will close on June 30.

In a statement Marie O’Loughlin, Chairperson, Board of the Civil Service Childcare Initiative said “Since October 2005, the board has sought to appoint an operator to man-

age Ennis Civil Service Créche. In the interests of parents and children in the créche, the board has kept the creche open through a series of tem- porary arrangements in this period. Following the most recent tendering process, the board is in discussions with a potential operator with a view to their taking over operation of the creche with effect from October 1, 2008.”

Ms McLoughlin said, “The board very much regrets having to close the créche. However, the current

arrangements can no longer be sup- ported. In the long-term interests of the creche it is vital that an operator is appointed under license to manage the créche.”

Ms McLoughlin added, “The cur- rent temporary arrangement comes to an end on June 30, 2008, and on this occasion 1s has not been possible to put in place arrangements to keep this creche open.”

In a statement the Department of Finance said that negotiations are underway to a permanent operator

will be in place for a five year period from October I.

The Ennis creche opened in Oc- tober 2003 and was operated for a two year period by Kite Childcare Ltd. The contract period expired on September 30, 2005, and was not re- newed.

Two tendering processes were held in November 2005 and February 2007, but, according to the Depart- ment of Finance, it was not possible to appoint an operator.

In a statement the Department of Finance said, “To ensure compliance with HSE regulations and having consulted with the HSE Preschool services, the board put in place a support structure of people with experience in créche management who were made available to manage- ment in Ennis creche three days per week.”

CLARE County Council is propos- ing that the home of the Ennis man who sought over €500,000 for his objection against a €40 million resi- dential development to be withdrawn be included in the list for recorded Nea UCe AU Key

Last month, it emerged that John Madden of Glencairn House, En- nis sought €550,000 for himself to construct a flood defence system on his lands near to the proposal and a separate payment of €50,000 for Cahercalla Community Hospice to withdraw his appeal against a hous-

ing development at the Golf Links in J Spayavese

In the end, no money was handed over and as a result, the appeal was not withdrawn and planning permis- sion was refused by An Bord Pleana- la to the proposal.

In a submission to An Bord Pleana- la, solicitors for Mr Madden, Call- inan & Co told the appeals board that the Ennis man had no desire to profit from the matter and is not motivated by the desire for personal gain.

In a personal submission, Mr Mad- den stated that he has “no history of seeking compensation from any- body”, later adding that “my com-

mitment to the concerns of the wider community with regard to inappro- priate development in the locality is well documented”’.

Now, the council is proposing to include Mr Madden’s 17th century Glencairn House in the list of pro- tected structures, which will place additional contraints on a property owner in seeking to make any chang- es to his property.

Already, there are 526 Protected Structures in Ennis and as part of drawing up of the new draft Ennis and Environs Plan, the council is proposing to include Mr Madden’s home and four other properties.

Mr Madden’s house sits on a land- bank of 20 acres within the Ennis town boundary and the lands could be worth millions of euro if devel- oped.

To date, Mr Madden has chosen not to avail of any windfall from the sale of any of his lands at the site.

According to the council, the con- dition of the house is good and is or regional architectural, archaeologi- cal and historical importance.

The draft plan is set to go on pub- lic display in July in order that public submissions can be made and, there- after, the plan is due to be adopted in December.

UP TO 42 children, clutching hand- made father’s day cards, were col- lected from Ennis Civil Service Créche, by distressed parents on Fri- day evening last.

Just hours before the parents, along with upset staff were told by the De- partment of Finance that the creche was to close in two weeks time.

While worried parents searched for childcare facilities at short notice, the 16 skilled staff, which include two part-time workers, faced into unemployment, many without a re- dundancy programme.

Gathered outside the creche, parents paid tribute to the staff. They were not as satisfied with the Department of Finance, however, who pulled the plug on the civil service creche until they finalised an agreement with a new créche operator.

The department “hope” to have this finalised by October.

Linda Hayes, the current temporary operator of the créche which received the All-Ireland Centre of Excellence Award, said she was happy to contin- ue running the creche until the new operator took over.

Ms Hayes began running the creche on a temporary basis six months ago

when the department failed to attract a full time operator.

Her contract 1s to finish on June 30, but she said she is happy to remain Oy se TH etom enn sre) tor

Spokesperson for the parents Ger- aldine Sullivan said that letter of the closure informed parents on Friday morning as they dropped their chil- dren off.

“It said the consultants would be here all day and next Monday to of- fer us support. So I asked what was the level of support being offered and that was the photocopy of the list of other créches in Ennis which are nearly all full,” she said.

The schoolteacher said she experi- enced a similar situation a number of years ago when Kite ran the créche and parents got two days notice.

Deputy Pat Breen (FG) is demand- ing that the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan review the decision to close the civil service creche in En- he

‘The manner in which this decision was communicated to the parents and staff of the civil service créche is appalling.

‘A Government agency should be leading by example instead of op- erating in this manner,” the deputy said.

WITH diesel prices continuing to Squeeze farm incomes the farm or- ganisation came out fighting this week, attacking ministers and call- ing for pressure to be put on the co- Ops.

First up was ICSA general secretary and Cratloe farmer Eddie Punch who attacked environment minister John Gormley, describing the Green Party leader’s comments that farmers may have to cut their livestock numbers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as “ridiculous”.

“On the one hand we have Minister Smith at the UN World Food Sum-

mit in Rome discussing global food shortages, while on the other hand Minister Gormley is suggesting we reduce our beef production,” he said.

‘“That’s just ridiculous. The beef in- dustry is vital to the Irish economy and any attempt to undermine it will be resisted by ICSA and all farmers.

‘Farmers have been to the fore in protecting the environment, through- out 15 year participation in REPS schemes, as well as implementing the Nitrates Directive. This veiled attack would not be tolerated by any other sector in Ireland and it won’t be tolerated by farmers either.”

Next up was Deputy President and Chairperson of ICMSA’s Dairy Com-

mittee, John O’ Leary, who called for co-op boards to face into making a decision on milk price as quick as possible.

‘Co-ops must at least maintain the April milk price as farmers will sim- ply not absorb a further cut in milk price following the massive drops in April,” he said

“Markets are now beginning to strengthen with dairy product prices increases in the UK, the EU and at world market levelling. In addi- tion, co-op boards simply cannot ignore the fact that input costs have increased substantially this year in particular fertiliser, feed and energy costs.”

ICMSA estimates these additional variable and fixed costs in 2008 at over 4 cent per litre of milk which is equivalent to over €9,000 for a full year’s milk production for a 50,000 gallon milk producer.

“It should be noted that this figure does not include depreciation nor the massive nitrate related investment costs taking place on farms at the present time,” said O’ Leary.

‘Taking account of the increased costs and the drop in milk price for April, farmer margins have been cut by about 10 cent per litre which, for a full year’s milk production represents an income loss of nearly €23,000 for a 50,000 milk producer.”