Tag Archives: Blath Cooney

A NEW Rural Ideas Forum could help reduce rural depopulation in Clare if it is properly implemented, according to Clare Beef Plan secretary, Bláth Cooney. However, Ms Cooney has warned this proposal, which is contained in the new Programme for Government conflicts with existing policies of urbanisation and large-scale afforestation and also the new EU Protected Areas plan, which proposes to designate 10% of the country as very high level special protected areas. She pledged the Beef Plan Movement will monitor the implementation of the consultation process and insist that the commitment to support farmers and local food businesses is honoured. “Some of this support is framed as a drive to improve land management to reduce emissions. It is important to recognise that in general farmers know their own land and improvements must be proposed in consultation with farmers rather than being imposed upon them. “This system has worked well in the locally-led schemes. The longest-established of these is the …

CLAIM and counter claim continues to be levelled by farmers concerning a controversial annual general meeting of Clare Beef Plan, which was held in the Auburn Lodge Hotel last January. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, Dermot O’Brien, who signs off as “Beef Plan Movement National spokesperson” has taken issue with a Clare Champion report outlining the return of Joe Woulfe as chairman of Clare Beef Plan. “The title of the article “Woulfe resumes as chair of Beef plan” is inaccurate and the organisation is requesting that clarification on this article be made available. “Mr Woulfe is not the chairman of Clare Beef Plan and this position is currently filled by Rory Slattery as an interim chair. “There are difficulties in the Beef Plan Movement as an organisation currently, where proper election procedures were not followed and where the rules of governance and supplementary regulations were not followed,” he alleged. The national Beef Plan movement is in turmoil …