Key live export industry stakeholders to attend Athlone public meeting
The meeting is being organised to ensure stability in the live export business.
Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly and Agriculture Spokesperson Michael Fitzmaurice are inviting farmers, exporters and all stakeholders in the live export trade to "bang heads together" and work to find solutions to resolve issues arising from the export of calves and weanlings at a public meeting in Athlone this Saturday night.
The meeting will take place at 7.30 p.m. this Saturday at the Athlone Springs Hotel, bringing together farmers, exporters and representatives from across the agricultural sector to discuss the growing challenges facing Ireland's live export trade and the need for additional export capacity in light of recent developments.
MEP Mullooly confirmed that a significant number of the country’s largest exporters of calves and weanlings will attend this Saturday night’s vitally important public meeting:
“We have now received confirmation that a large number of Ireland's largest exporters will attend on Saturday, their knowledge, experience and input will be vital in working together to try to find a solution.
“We cannot allow decisions made without properly considering the consequences for farmers to undermine an important part of our agricultural economy.
“Farmers need functioning markets and they need confidence that their animals can be moved when required.
“This meeting is about bringing people together, listening to the concerns on the ground, making sure the Government understands the seriousness of the situation and crucially sitting down to work on potential solutions to this crisis.
Independent Ireland Agriculture Spokesperson Michael Fitzmaurice TD said stability was urgently needed to protect farmers and families in the months ahead.
“We need stability in the live export business and a clear pathway going forward in the coming years for both exporters and the farming community as a whole..
“Otherwise, we will simply be sleepwalking into more issues for farmers in six months' time.
“We have seen the consequences when export routes and capacity are restricted. The last thing farmers need is to find themselves facing a glut of animals with nowhere to send them and prices collapsing as a result. There is an old saying in the farming community - "you need a good live trade to have a good dead trade" - agricultural people will understand this.
“This is not just an issue for exporters. It affects the entire agricultural sector and the viability of family farms across the country.
“I am appealing to all the key stakeholders in the business to come together and work together. We need practical solutions and we need to secure the additional capacity that is so badly required.
“This Saturday's meeting is an opportunity for farmers and those working in the trade to have their voices heard and to put forward solutions. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the future of live exports to come along.” Independent Ireland Leader Michael Collins TD, General Secretary Richard O'Donoghue TD and Independent Ireland councillors from across Ireland will also attend the meeting.
Speaking ahead of the meeting Deputy Collins said: “Independent Ireland will continue to stand firmly with farmers and fight for the export capacity and market access they need to protect their livelihoods.”
The meeting will take place at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday at the Athlone Springs Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Eircode: N37 F9T3.
Farmers, exporters and all stakeholders in the live export trade are encouraged to attend.
