Call expected for reopening of agricultural office

Clare County Council is expected to endorse a call for Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to come to the aid of Clare farmers by reopening the agricultural office in Ennis twice weekly.

 

Monday’s council meeting will support a motion from Councillor Gabriel Keating asking the minister to invoke the measure to alleviate the hardship being experienced by the county’s farming fraternity without “the additional stress of having to travel to Limerick to do their business”.

“The incessant bad weather has had a huge impact on farming. Farmers have already struggled with silage making and now they are experiencing more problems trying to save the harvest. June was the wettest month on record and there has been little let-up since then.

“Livestock had to be rehoused, extra feed concentrates had to be purchased, the spiralling cost of fuel has driven up production costs even further and the cumulative effect now is that livestock prices are falling,” he explains.

Councillor Keating maintains there are enough of pressures on Clare farmers without having the additional stress of having to travel to Limerick to do their business.

“This round trip for farmers from West Clare, for example, can take a half day of their time. Reopening the agricultural office in Ennis on a two-day a week basis would help to alleviate some of the pressures on these farmers. The majority of farmers travel into Ennis to attend the mart on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it would be convenient for them to do their business on these days.

“Staffing the office for two days would not be a major issue as there is still a number of staff in place at the local office,” he adds.

Councillor Keating says that over the past two years, the agricultural sector has been the jewel in the crown in the Irish economy.

“Farm incomes rose during that period and more young people were attracted back into the industry. However, the success of farming is very much dependent on a number of factors, which are outside of their control including the weather. As a result this year, we have witnessed how quickly the gains of the past two years have been eaten into by the impact that the bad weather has had on the industry.

“Farming, just like tourism, is the lifeblood of our communities and it is important that we support our farmers.  The reopening of the agricultural office in Ennis on a two-day a week basis would be an important step in this regard,” he maintains.