Agricultural Affairs Events 2022
President John Keane's Visit to Brussels
Published 26th September 2022
MACRA President John Keane's recent visit to Brussels as part of on-going CEJA work
View a Flickr Gallery of Images >>
The National Ploughing Championships
Published 26th September 2022
From the 20th - 22th September Macra had a highly successful three day event at the National Ploughing Championships.
- Over the course of the three days Macra;
- Met a large number of members, held interactive talks
- Engaged with politicians
- Sponsored the Macra ploughing class
- Held a member consultation process
- Launched Macra's new branding
It was a highly successful few days and demonstrates how Macra has a bright future in Irish agriculture.
View our Flickr Image Gallery >>
Agricultural Affairs Committee Lobbying
Published 26th September 2022
On the 15th September a delegation from Macra's Agricultural Affairs and Rural Youth committees visited Leinster House and Government Buildings to lobby politicians on Macra's pre-budget submission. It was a very beneficial process achieving excellent engagement from all involved. There were a large number of issues discussed including:
- State aid rules on taxation
- Generational renewal
- Land mobility
- Environmental measures
- Knowledge transfer
- Make the Moove
- Rural broadband
- Rural housing
- Rural transport
- Healthcare
View our Flickr gallery of Images >>
Macra na Feirme Response to Food Vision Dairy Group Interim Report
Published 14th September 2022
The main feedback that encompasses the entirety of the response from Macra na Feirme to the Interim report centers around the need for a greater focus on generational renewal and creating real pathways for the transition from one generation to the next.
Download the Submission Document (PDF 292Kb)>>
Macra na Feirme Dairy Food Vision Group Submission
Published 14th September 2022
Macra na Feirme as a rural youth organisation and its members are committed to delivering on climate action and believe Irish agriculture is and will be going forward an integral part of the solution to reducing global emissions.
Download the Submission Document (PDF )>>
Macra na Feirme Beef Food Vision Submission
Published 14th September 2022
The document outlines Macra na Feirme’s position and priorities in respect of the future of the Beef sector in Ireland, the role it plays in rural Ireland and also the areas in which beef farmers can continue to reduce emissions from their enterprises.
Download the Submission Document (PDF 202Kb )>>
Macra na Feirme Teagasc Student Placement Proposal
Published 14th September 2022
Below is a link to the document that outlines the position of Macra na Feirme regarding the Teagasc Student Placement system and programme within Teagasc Agricultural colleges and related programmes. It is formulated in the context of a changing programme and the reality experienced by members and former members of the on-farm placement programme.
Download the Proposal Document (PDF - 123Kb) >>
Submission from Macra na Feirme in relation to Issues surrounding Water Quality and Supply
Published 14th September 2022
The diverse and disparate nature of the Irish landscape means that a one size fits all approach will not resolve issues at a local level. Ireland has more than 73,000 km of river channels. If placed end-to-end, they could encircle the Earth almost twice.
Download the Submission Document (PDF 184Kb ) >>
Macra na Feirme’s submission to the Citizen’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss
Published 14th September 2022
Macra na Feirme welcomes the opportunity to feed in a written submission to the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity. It is a welcome development that enhanced consideration is being given to the protection and enhancement of Ireland’s biodiversity.
Download the Submission Document (PDF 560Kb) >>
Macra na Feirme’s Submission on the Referendum on Housing
Published 14th September 2022
Macra na Feirme welcomes the opportunity to feed in a written submission to the Commission on Housing regarding a referendum on housing.
Download the Submission Document (PDF 580Kb )>>
Macra na Feirme Pre-Budget Submission 2023
Published 14th September 2022
Young people in rural Ireland are particularly vulnerable, and Macra na Feirme is asking the Government to address the huge financial challenges faced by rural young people either in employment, unemployment or further and higher education and training in budget 2023.
Download the Submission Document (PDF 8Kb )>>
Macra na Feirme's Farm Safety Awareness
Published 22nd August 2022
Farm safety unfortunately is a huge issue on Irish farms, with farm accidents resulting in many fatalities and injuries each year. The intention of Macra na Feirme's Farm Safety Awareness initiative is to raise awareness of the risks on farms, use demonstrations to encourage risk avoidance and ultimately reduce farm accidents and to save lives. Farm safety should be part of the daily routine on all farms with a continuously updated risk assessment and a proactive approach to making farms a safer workplace.
A farm safety element is part of all YFDG events and farm visits where a neutral observer critics the farm safety standards of the farm and provides constructive criticism to the farmer. The intention of this exercise is to encourage the farmer to take action to improve farm safety standards while providing an opportunity for the group to learn from others through the sharing past experiences and taking note of potential risks.
View our Flickr Album on Farm Safety >>
Macra na Feirme's GrassRoots Programme
Published 22nd August 2022
The Joint Oireachtas committee on Agriculture
Published 15th July 2022
John Keane (President) and Liam Hanrahan (Agricultural Affairs committee chair) represented Macra at The Joint Oireachtas committee on Agriculture of The Food Supply Chain Bill on 13th July 2022.
Farmers Journal Podcast
Published 15th July 2022
Macra president John Keane joined the Irish Farmers Journal Young Stock Podcast this week
Listen to the Podcast >>
The Agricultural Affairs Committee 2022 - 2023
Published 11th July, 2022
Meeting with Jackie Cahill T.D.
Macra na Feirme recently met with Deputy Jackie Cahill to highlight a number of issues affecting young farmers and the challenges and opportunities that face young people in the sector. The meeting took place in Dublin, the main topics that were discussed were access to Land for young people and the role that The Land Mobility Service can play in facilitating land transfer to younger people and the assurances needed to secure long term funding for the service.
Macra na Feirme representative also highlighted the need for a just transition in relation to the climate targets and that young farmers were particularly vulnerable to price changes and to changes in policy over a short timeframe. The investment demonstrated by young farmers in new technology was highlighted and the need for increased access to funding under TAMS for young farmers into the future.
The meet was very constructive and we would like to thank Deputy Cahill for his time and ongoing support.
In attendance at this meeting were JOHN KEANE National President, _ JONATHAN DWYER North Tipperary NCR and GILLIAN RICHARDSON Skillnet Manager
Meeting with Martin Heydon T.D.
Macra na Feirme also met with Minister Martin Heydon to discuss Make The Moove a mental health programme developed within Macra designed to provide education and raise awareness around mental health in rural communities. The Minister was given a presentation which included to work carried out to date by the programme in both Tipperary and Roscommon along with short term future plans.
It was conveyed to the Minister that greater support was needed for the programme to deliver on the demand and need that existed for specific rural supports. Make The Moove aims to develop training courses in the area of mental health in the short term for all ages and also to develop a national support network similar to those that exist in other countries.
We would like to thank the Minister and his team for their time and support shown for the programme and look forward to future engagements on the programme.
In attendance at this meeting were JOHN KEANE National President, JONATHAN DWYER North Tipperary NCR, GILLIAN RICHARDSON Skillnet Manager and MICK CURRAN CEO Macra na Feirme
Meeting with Senator TIm Lombard
Macra na Feirme representatives also met with Senator Tim Lombard in relation to young farmers. Senator Lombard was made aware of the challenges facing young farmers in terms of access to Land.
Macra na Feirme also highlighted that Ireland is the only member state not to provide installation aid for young farmers across the EU from CAP funding. The representatives also highlighted the need for greater access to finance for young farmers as this is a significant barrier to young people starting out in the sector.
The issue of rural living and housing was also discussed where it was highlighted that young people can no longer afford to purchase houses in rural Ireland or indeed build a house due to planning issues. Senator Lombard has always been a great support to Macra and we thank him for his time and look forward to future engagements.
In attendance at this meeting were JOHN KEANE National President, JONATHAN DWYER North Tipperary NCR, GILLIAN RICHARDSON Skillnet Manager and MICK CURRAN CEO Macra na Feirme
View a Flickr Gallery of images >>