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Sligo IFA Annual Function

Address by Cathaoirleach Cllr Jude Devins,

Members of County Sligo IFA,
Special guests and friends,

I want to thank you for the kind invitation to join you this evening for the annual function of the County Sligo IFA. While I am the first to acknowledge that I have very little ‘hands – on’ experience of the farming life, I yield to no-one in my respect for the farming community and I appreciate the vital role you play in our country, particularly in this time of economic challenge and social change.

Anyone with even a basic knowledge of our economic and social history will be aware of the pivotal role played by generations of farmers. The standards you have set in terms of quality and reliability are known and respected world-wide and this attribute will be even more vital in the years ahead. 

There is no disputing that the engagement between the farming community and the local authorities has not always been harmonious. While the issue of water charges has received extensive coverage, it is often at the expense of other equally important projects where there is a potential for real consensus and tangible progress.

An area where there is excellent cooperation between the local authority and the farming community is in the area of water harvesting.  With the active involvement and encourage of the farming sector, Sligo County Council has made real strides in this area. Our work to date in the area of water management has seen significant results, with a reduction of 5,000 cubic metres a day achieved in County Sligo.

The technology of water harvesting is continually evolving, with new systems being developed to meet the particular needs of individual farmers at affordable prices. Local authorities have a critical role to play in this process, and my hope is that we will continue to work with the farming community to promote best practice in terms of water usage, water conservation and water harvesting.

On a wider level, an issue which is of serious concern for the farming community is the threat to our rural way of life. There are so many facets to this topic that it would be impossible to consider them within the confines of a brief address. However I think it is important from the local authority’s perspective that we are  mindful of the many challenges facing our farming community, the very real threat to their way of life, and to ensure we do everything in our power to help them in whatever way we can.

Over the years, the IFA have been committed and articulate advocates for its members, and the foresight and ambition shown by the organisation could serve in many instances as a template for the wider community.

The newly established food safety task force established by the IFA will provide a welcome guarantee of quality for the consumer, as well as safeguarding the reputation of the producer.  We have a long and hugely valuable tradition in terms of our export produce, and the task force’s remit to ensure farmer participation in all aspects of food traceability and consumer assurance is good news for both internal and external markets. Your organisation’s call for the restoration of competitiveness to our economy is one that will resonate with the general public.

Much of the public debate concerning the protection of our environment has often been characterised by an inequitable focus, sometimes very negative, on the farming community. I would argue that the I FA  has been at the fore front of  progressive change, and I feel the role of your national environment committee will have a pivotal role to play in the years ahead.

To quote just one example, the IFA has identified 6,000 locations across the country where farmers can establish micro wind-turbines in an environmentally friendly, non intrusive manner.

This development has major significance in terms of our ongoing endeavour to reduce C02 emissions, and are yet another indication of the strategic vision of the I FA.

Outgoing President Padraig Walshe’s call earlier this week for extensive cost cutting measures in a number of areas is one that will be vigorously supported by your members.

In any appraisal of our economic situation, there is a tendency to ‘pigeon-hole’ the various sectors of our economy into separate  and conflicting interests, whether that sector be farming, business, educational, public or political.

After months of heated, and not always enlightened debate, I firmly believe our focus should be on consensus, not division. As I outlined over the last few minutes, the wider community has a lot to learn from the farming sector.  In my view a society’s willingness to learn is a  sign of a its maturity, and if ever there was a time for calm and considered reflection it is now.  

As we move towards working our way out of the current economic difficulties, our farming sector, individually and collectively, will have a vitally important part to play. My hope is that by fostering a partnership approach between all sectors in our society, at both local and national level, we will achieve more that just mutual understanding of our respective roles and objectives, we may also in the process stir the embers of recovery in our economy.

Thank you and enjoy the evening.
 
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