by Jerome Hughes and Louise Doyle
MINISTER Charlie McConalogue has vowed that he will get the ‘best outcome for farmers’.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland was speaking to the Donegal News yesterday ahead of Donegal Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA) annual general meeting (AGM) in the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny at 8pm this evening.
It is one of three meetings taking place across the county this evening which are all expected to draw huge crowds, as people make their voices heard on a range of pressing issues.
With an important election year ahead, homeowners affected by the defective concrete crisis are being urged by Donegal campaign groups to attend an important meeting at 7pm in An Grianan Hotel, Burt, to have their say on what a true 100% Redress Scheme looks like.
Aontú leader, Deputy Peadar Tóibín and Donegal’s Aontú representative Mary T Sweeney and local election candidate Mick Harkin will be the speakers in Dillon’s Hotel at 8pm.
Aontú will stress a ‘fair deal for Donegal is needed’ on a range of issues including health and the defective block crisis.
On what can be expected at this evening’s IFA AGM, Minister McConalogue said: “I’ll be updating farmers in relation to developments over the past year, including the various schemes that I’ve launched. For example, we’re increasing the sheep payment from €10 a ewe to €20.
“We’ll also talk about the ongoing work in finalising the ACRES environmental scheme, which is particularly important in our county.
“I’ll be looking to get feedback from farmers to see how they feel things are going at the moment. I can then work towards the outcomes that
Donegal farmers are seeking. AGMs are particularly important because everyone comes together.
“I see my role in government, and as minister, to work in any way I can, whatever the challenges are, to do my best to get an outcome that works best for farmers. In order to achieve that it’s important that I engage as much as I can, and to listen.”
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