Newly elected Limerick IFA Chair Louise Crowley says 'time for action is now'

Newly elected Limerick IFA Chair Louise Crowley said that 2025 signals a resetting of the approach to agriculture in Ireland, as a new Government must now deliver on the election promises they preached in the build up to the General Election last November.

Louise Crowley believes the new Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon is well positioned to tackle the challenges that farming faces given his time as Minster of State in the last Government and being a farmer.

“The Programme for Government signals a re-set of the approach to farming and in IFA we will be working with the Government to make sure the policy direction is practical and works for farmers.”

“For Minister Heydon it is a step up, but he has the advantage of an understanding of the issues that he’s facing,” she said.

Louise Crowley said the Mercosur trade deal rammed through by the EU Commission must be pushed back against and rejected by the Irish Government and Irish officials in Brussels.

“This deal, if ratified, has serious implications for Irish farming. The introduction of over 90,000 tonnes of beef, which is not produced to the same quality and safety standards as Irish beef, will have a severe negative effect on the Irish beef sector and rural Ireland,” she said.

Louise Crowley also highlighted the need for a solution on GAEC 2, with a large number of farmers impacted across Limerick and the south-west region.

“Minister Martin Heydon should have sought a further delay of the implementation of GAEC 2 from the EU Commission. This would have allowed it to be considered under promised simplification measures being designed by the EU,” she said.

“The IFA has been lobbying on this issue since 2021 and its implementation was postponed in 2023 and 2024. The Minister should have stood up to the Commission and looked for it to be reconsidered as part of the much-promised simplification package,” she said.

“GAEC-2 will apply to up to 35,000 farmers. While the measures may not impact on many farming activities in 2025, it is the thin end of the wedge and there are real concerns that it will impact these farmers more in the future,” she said. 

The Limerick IFA Chair also said the new Government must deliver on their commitment to the retention of our Nitrates Derogation this year.

“Whatever needs to be done must be done. The new Programme for Government contains a strong commitment to fight for the derogation in Brussels.

“The decision to have a Cabinet committee chaired by the Taoiseach shows the willingness to give this the attention that is needed.”

“But we now must see those words become actions, and we need our need leaders to secure the retention of the derogation. Farmers are playing their part, but retaining the derogation we have is a red line issue for the IFA and our elected representatives must deliver this,” Louise Crowley said.

In light of the recent destruction caused by Storm Éowyn, the second major weather event to hit the country this spring following significant snowfall in some areas in early January, Louise Crowley is calling for the Government and local authorities to fully assess the country’s infrastructure and limit further disruption of future extreme weather events.

“We need to assess our infrastructure in the aftermath, and implement what can be done to be better prepared. This review should involve all stakeholders to see what steps can be taken to minimise disruption when we encounter similar events in the future,” Louise Crowley said.

“There is a real fear that the focus will move off these issues until it happens again. This cannot be the case. We must begin work on addressing the vulnerabilities this storm has brought to light,” she said.

Louise Crowley also highlighted the significant damage caused to farm forestry across the country by Storm Éowyn, acknowledging the establishment of the Forest Windblow Taskforce as a positive step.

“The damage to forestry is extremely devastating, in some cases full plantations unsalvageable. It is important that everything is done to help the farmers who have been devasted by the storm damage.”

“IFA will be engaging with the Taskforce, to ensure that storm-damaged forests are managed safely and appropriately. Funding must be made available for the felling of these damaged forests, and also later on the reconstitution of the forestry lost.

“He must also allow licenses for felling of forestry that is not already licensed,” she said.

“But crucially, the Minister must intervene and control the supply of timber into the market, to ensure the issues forestry farmers are facing is not compounded by an oversupply,” Louise Crowley added.

The Limerick IFA Chair has again pleaded for people to take greater responsibility for their dogs, with recent attacks on livestock around the county causing devastation to family farms.

“The devastation caused has to be brought home to those who think their dog would not be part of an attack on livestock. Dog owners cannot absolve themselves of the wreckage left behind when sheep are attacked,” she said.

“The lack of robust enforcement of the legal obligations on dog owners has allowed horrendous attacks to persist and increase across the country. It is unacceptable,” Louise Crowley said.

“Again, through our ‘No Dogs Allowed’ campaign, we are demanding stronger regulations and stricter enforcement for those who disregard the safety and wellbeing of our livestock,” she said.

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