A meeting scheduled for Easter Monday, April 22, will discuss the “severe pressure” farmers are under, as well as the challenges in rural Ireland.
The meeting is being organised by Ivan Connaughton, Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, and will be held in the community centre in the parish of Dysart, in the south of the county.
Michael Fitzmaurice, independent TD for Roscommon-Galway, has co-organised the meeting and will also be in attendance, as well as AgriLand news editor Claire Mc Cormack, who will give those in attendance an update on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
“The topics to be discussed at this meeting are very relevant at this time. The farming sector is under severe pressure and the sustainability of the family farm is under the spotlight,” said cllr. Connaughton.
“This meeting has excellent speakers and most importantly, the meeting will be open to the floor to hear the genuine concerns from the people most affected,” he added.
Meanwhile, Fitzmaurice said: “Ivan and I are holding this meeting to brief the farming community on matters that affect them most. It is important that the west of Ireland is not left behind in the CAP negotiations.”
He added: “The rural communities in Roscommon and Galway are heavily reliant on the beef and sheep sectors and rural isolation is of big concern due to current Government policies. This meeting will be part of a series of meetings I will be organising to ensure the people I represent have the opportunity to attend and have their say.”