Election candidate listens to farmers

MINISTER Martin Heydon was guest of honour at an informative and well-attended meeting on the ‘Future of Farming’ in Dunleckney, Bagenalstown recently. 

The public meeting was organised by Catherine Callaghan, the Fine Gael candidate for Carlow Kilkenny, and welcomed minister Heydon along with Vincent O’Connor, representing Teagasc, while it was chaired by cllr Tommy Kinsella. 

At the meeting, Catherine tackled the issues deeply affecting the farming community, including calling for an expansion of CAP, the reduction in excessive red tape, which is hindering the livelihoods of farm families, and greater certainty about derogation beyond 2025.Minister Heydon addressed the large crowd of farmers on farm inheritance, ACRES, Budget 2025 and especially the negotiations with the EU on the derogation. 

Vincent O’Connor spoke on the practical implications of all the EU schemes. “A full shed in Bagenalstown for our Future of Farming event with minister Heydon and thank you to Thomas Kinsella for chairing the event and Vincent O’Connor representing Teagasc,” said Catherine. “A massive thank you to Alan Hughes for the use of this fantastic space and to everyone who turned up, despite the weather. What a fantastic warm and engaging welcome I received from the farmers of Bagenalstown and surrounding areas. “Tillage, dairy, beef, sheep and equine farmers were present and it was a privilege to be able to listen to the concerns but also the positive outlook farmers continue to keep. We will remain focused on increasing the CAP budget for farmers and reducing red tape on bringing our farmers into the new generation of farming,” said Catherine.