I enjoyed a very special Europe Day – Thursday May 9th, this year in the company of children from Dromiskin St Peter’s National School in Co. Louth.

And what a great day I had!

The children were full of the joys of life and enthusiastically embraced the Blue Star programme which is all about spreading awareness of the EU from its foundations right through to today.

I was entertained by song, dance and presentations about the EU. And I was educated too. A short but powerful slideshow about the concentration camps was especially moving with the commentary provided by Jessica Doherty, a sixth class pupil.

It is important that we do not forget the history of Europe and the importance of peace and stability and how peace needs to be nurtured.

I spoke with the children about these issues and they understood very well, having studied the evolution of the EU.

At 11am we all – pupils and teachers – joined hands in a special moment of unity as a gesture of European unity and solidarity.

And of course we enjoyed the hospitality of the house with fresh scones, teas and cakes!
It was also a very special occasion as Brendan Kearley, a cousin of my late father and a local historian came to the school to present me with an old family photograph.

It was a great and memorable day and I want to thank Principal Pat Mulligan and all of the school community for their warm welcome and the incredible work they put into making “Europe Day” really memorable.

On Friday, May 10th I visited another wonderful school, Réalt Na Mara School, Donacarney where yet again I was amazed at the work of the pupils in their reflections on the European Union.

We had song, dance, presentations and a debate about the voting age! The motion before the house was that children should have the vote at 13 years of age. It was great to listen to the very thoughtful arguments put forward by the two teams and their ability to argue their points very effectively.

I told them about our debates in the European Parliament and how we vote on particular issues.

The pupils put on a great display about the EU, including the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was delighted to meet and talk to the pupils of both schools about the EU and what it means for Ireland and for them and their future.

I also want to acknowledge the huge contribution the teachers make to initiatives like Europe Day, which brings an extra dimension to the education of our children and requires committed teachers to get involved.

The survey clearly illustrates the importance of direct payments to Irish farmers, especially in a difficult year like last year when they accounted for 81pc of farm income. On cattle rearing farms dependency on direct payments is higher.

These figures clearly underline the danger of reductions in the CAP budget.

The National Farm Survey further highlights a large differential across 80,000 farms. The average income on dairy farms was €51,648, compared to €11,743 on cattle-rearing farms.

The lowest farm incomes were reported in the border region where the average income was just over €14,000. The south east fared best with an average income of just over €37,000.

Almost 20pc of farms had an income of less than €5,000 last year while less than 3pc had incomes of more than €100,000.

The survey found that 27pc of Irish farms were economically viable. A third of all farms were deemed economically vulnerable.

Unsurprisingly, Teagasc cited poor weather conditions as a particular difficulty as well as increased animal feed costs for farmers last year.

The survey is a reminder, if one were needed, of the vulnerability of farm incomes to unseasonal weather. It also highlights the dangers of any dramatic changes to the CAP and how this might negatively impact on the incomes of farmers in the livestock sector in particular.

While young people are showing greater interest in working the land, they need to know that they can earn a reasonable living from agriculture in order for them to consider farming as a career option.

We need a sustainable food supply chain if we are ever to ensure food security and a future for Irish and European agriculture.

Teagasc’s 40th National Farm Survey was conducted on 1,000 farms. Read the full report here.

Many people have tragically lost their lives on our roads due to drink-driving incidents, with over 1 in 4 road deaths in the EU caused by drink-driving.

Alcohol-fuelled violence has left many injured and alcoholism also carries very serious health and financial consequences for the individual, and for society at large.

Alcohol is responsible for 3.5% of cancer deaths in the world, recognised as a risk factor for over 60 diseases and disorders, including alcohol liver diseases, diabetes, and cancer.

In 2010, the cost of alcohol-related harm in the EU amounted to €155 billion.

While alcohol is an important economic commodity, its misuse can be extremely harmful. Therefore, I am happy to support the Awareness Week on Alcohol-Related Harm (13-14th May).

Education and awareness is key – people both young and old need to understand the risks they are taking by over-consuming alcohol.

This inaugural Awareness Week on Alcohol-Related Harm is calling for a renewal of the EU Strategy on Alcohol.

As a member of the European Parliament’s Public Health Committee, I certainly think we need to review the current situation, the effectiveness of past awareness-raising measures and safety campaigns to gauge what is needed to counteract this harm.

We need to keep the issue on the agenda to ensure that younger generations are well educated on the risks of alcohol self-harm.

Léargas has managed European, national and international exchange and cooperation programmes in education, training and youth and community work for over 20 years and can provide expert advice and information in that regard.

Operating under the Department of Education and Skills and the Office of the Minister for Children, Léargas can also advise on EU funding programmes.

For further information, visit the website or call 01 873 1411.

Minister, President of COPA, MEP Peter Jahr, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting me to Leipzig today.

It is a great pleasure to be here to discuss and debate the reform of EU Agriculture policy.

I am here to talk but also to listen to the concerns you have here in the region. The deal is not yet done, but we are moving towards an agreement, so it is always good to exchange views.

We have already begun the trilogue process, where the Council, the Parliament and the Commission sit together to try and reach compromises on areas where the institutions take a different view from each other. That process is working well, but it is extremely time- consuming and difficult.

In total there are 34 meetings planned. As a shadow rapporteur for the direct payments module, the number of formal meetings at 10 masks the large number of informal meetings between shadow rapporteurs, with member state representatives, with farm organisations, and with the Commission.

These intense negotiations will continue into June as we try and reach agreement.

We have had two trilogue meetings to date, which I am happy to say were positive ones.

But before I talk about some of the details, let me say a little bit more about the timetable.

Timetable

The Irish Presidency is intent on reaching a political agreement on CAP reform before the end of June, when the Irish Presidency comes to an end.

It is a challenge, given the complex issues which have to be agreed.

We have four regulations – direct payments, rural development, common market organisation and the horizontal regulation dealing with inspections and cross compliance rules.

It is not yet clear if agreement can be reached on all of the dossiers by the end of June.

But I believe it is essential to conclude a political agreement on the direct payments regulation in order to provide certainty to farmers about the future of their support payments.

Of course, even if we reach a political agreement on the reforms, much will remain to be done in terms of procedural matters.

The Parliament wants to conclude the reforms in a first reading agreement. This is desirable. But it is unlikely that we will vote on the completed reform package until the autumn.

Budget

We also have the uncertainty over the budget for the CAP. The Heads of State and Government reached an agreement on the overall budget for the EU – including the CAP. There is less money for the CAP, both in Pillar I and Pillar II. The total CAP budget is set at €373bn, with €277.85bn for direct payments & market measures (includes €2.8bn for the crisis reserve) and €84.94bn for rural development.

Yet we know that more is being asked of the policy, indeed more is being asked of farmers.

In addition the agreement calls for convergence of payments between Member States, to close the gap between the highest and lowest Member States.

Where the overall fund available is reduced, meeting this objective can only be done by taking money from some member states and giving it to others.

Germany finds itself in this position, but I know there is a strong political commitment to support, in particular the position of the Baltic Member States.

The European Council agreed that all Member States with direct payments per hectare below 90pc of the EU average will close one third of the gap between their current direct payments level and 90pc of the EU average in the course of the budgetary period.
However, all Member States should attain at least the level of €196 per hectare in current prices by 2020.

This convergence will be financed by all Member States with direct payments above the EU average, proportional to their distance from the EU average.

Trilogue

Let me return to the work in progress at the trilogue meetings.

Already in direct payments we have worked on:

- the definition of an active farmer
- the scheme of support for young farmers
- for small farmers
- coupled support
- basic payment scheme
- national reserve
- complementary payments for the first hectares, also know as the redistributive payment.

The list is long, but there is an even longer list of issues which have yet to be dealt with!

On some technical issues we have made progress.

But it is also true to say that on some of these issues, the positions of the Parliament, Council and Commission are very different.

We have agreed to park those contentious, political issues without conclusion at this point and will return to them nearer the end of the process.

The Irish Presidency has indicated that it will convene a political meeting as part of the June Farm Council in Luxembourg.

Let me give you some examples; how do we reconcile the position of the Parliament and the Council, where we are insisting on a mandatory scheme of support for young farmers and the Council want this to be optional for member states? This is just one example of where a compromise will be difficult to find: but found it will have to be!

Equally on coupled supports which the Commission provides for in its proposals, but where again there is division between the position of the Parliament and Council on the level of coupled support and the sectors which might benefit from such support.

The Parliament voted for a lengthy list of sectors, while the Council and Commission have a restricted list. And on the level of coupled support, the Parliament favoured a maximum 15pc of the national envelope being used for coupled support if a member state so chooses, while the maximum permitted by Council would be12pc, with little room for manoeuvre. Again finding a compromise will be tough.

And I could continue with areas of difficulty, but will not because there is also a genuine willingness among the institutions and the negotiators to make progress.

The Irish Presidency is committed to progress, the Parliament wants progress and the Commission is there to facilitate progress.

Let me for a few moments look at the policy re-focus in these reforms.

Policy re-focus

There are two central aspects to this round of CAP reform.

Firstly, proposals for convergence of payments – this applies between Member States and between farmers in Member States.

The second new idea is the greening of Pillar I payments – deepening the environmental delivery on farms.

I have already said that external convergence to bring Member States with low average payments towards the EU average has political support.

On the question of internal convergence – redistribution of payments between farmers within member states, there is still much to discuss.

This is not, now, an issue in Germany.

You are one of the few Member States that opted to implement a flat rate regionalised per hectare payment and began the process in 2005.

In this region that payment is 359 euros – without modulation.

In many ways you lead the field in this regard and do not have the difficult task facing other Member States, including my own – Ireland, of redistributing payments between farmers – giving those with no or low value entitlements more money and funding this by way of reductions from those farmers with high value entitlements.

Germany undertook convergence ahead of the rest, so your concerns on CAP are less complicated than for other Member States. Perhaps we can learn from your experience.

We have concerns about the impact of flat rate payments on the livestock sector which has a higher labour content than arable production.

I would be interested to know if there is any change in the number and level of livestock productions in Germany with the move to a flat rate payment.

I know that the process of internal convergence towards a flat rate regionalised payment in your country was not easy and involved much debate and disagreement. Where there are winners, there are also losers and it is the losers that complain bitterly……

I would be really interested to learn from you about the process and how it was handled here.

In Ireland right now we are having this debate and it is divisive between farmers.

Flat rate

The Commission proposal for a flat rate payment by 2019 has been rejected by both the Council and the Parliament.

But the Commission is insisting on a minimum and meaningful convergence.

Both the Parliament and Council accept that historic based payments can no longer be justified and that change is necessary.

But, the change proposed by the Commission is regarded as – too much and too rapid.

In the trilogue on Thursday last it is clear that the Commission is moving away from demanding a flat rate national or regional payment per hectare by 2019, but it is still demanding meaningful convergence.

I expect that a final decision on how far Member States will be required to converge and over what time period this occurs will be another key political decision for the June meeting.

Indeed, the final solution may be a formula which uses external convergence as a basis for internal convergence – a model proposed by the Irish Minister for Agriculture.

Capping of payments

My colleague and your MEP, Peter Jahr, has consistently argued the case against capping of payments. He has firmly expressed his view against capping and voted to reject the capping proposals.

However, the Parliament has voted in favour of limiting the size of payment that any one entity can receive. And in these reforms the Parliament has co-decision powers with the Council, so its view must be taken on board. Some 75pc of MEPs voted for capping of payments.

Capping has been on and off the agenda on several occasions.

However, up to now, placing a limit on payments has not been supported by Council.

The climate today is very different and I believe that some form of capping will emerge in the final negotiations.

Capping is included in the Commissions proposal.

And the European Council in February agreed that capping of direct payments for large beneficiaries will be introduced by Member States on a voluntary basis.

The door has been well and truly opened for some form of limiting the size of payments.
The political support for capping is also strong and there is public interest in this issue.

We must consider the background in which the CAP is being reformed.

The budget for the CAP is reducing, the demands on the money are increasing and in that context it does seem logical to say that we limit payments above a certain level on the basis that those who receive large payments – generally speaking the larger farmers – should have economies of scale, which might allow them to adjust to a lower payment arising from capping.

Perhaps you will point out that this is not the case when we go to our questions and answer session!

It is important to clarify what is actually proposed in terms of capping.

In the original Commission proposal, the idea was to limit payments to a maximum of €300,000 per farmer, with degressive cuts in payments beginning at €150,000.

The ceiling is placed on the basic payment NOT the total payment (greening plus basic payment).

The Parliament proposes that when applying capping, account should be taken of the labour input on farms and contractor charges. This would allow these costs to be deducted from the payment before the capping limits would be imposed.

The Agriculture Council also reached agreement on the capping of payments, but said capping should be voluntary for Member States and start at €150,000.

Perhaps now is the time for those Member States who are opposed to capping to think again.

Would it not make sense to follow the proposals of the Parliament and prepare for capping, with account taken of labour and contractor costs?

I understand that the German position is firmly against capping and that in this region also there is opposition to capping of payments. MEP Peter Jahr keeps me closely informed of your concerns.

Germany supports the Council position of February where capping is optional for Member States, so it does not oppose the limiting of payments in Member States who choose to do so.

I also know from German officials that the idea of taking account of labour and contractor charges is regarded as moving the CAP into a socio-politically motivated agricultural policy.

But the CAP objectives do provide for concerns around territorial balance, which is a socio-economic concern.

There are also concerns about the added administration costs involved in a system which required proof of payment to employees and to contractors.

But I must be clear here – I believe capping will come.
I understand that some 3,000 farmers in Germany would be affected by the rules on capping.

But let us debate further this issue!

Greening

The move to deepen environmental demands on farmers is a major focus of the CAP reforms.
In future 30pc of a farmer’s payment will be linked to environmental delivery. It is a significant part of the payment.

It is also a controversial part of the reforms.

This week in Dublin, the Environment Commissioner Potocnik, said he hoped that “some of the more negative impacts” on the environment of the Council’s CAP negotiating mandate would be reversed in the ongoing negotiations.

These are very strong words of criticism.

The Commission’s view, he said, was based on a “simple philosophy” that public money should not be spent on pollution. Therefore, payments under the CAP should be conditional on improving rather than degrading the environment!

I quote the Environment Commissioner to give you a flavour of the different views on the CAP, which we as politicians deal with. As you can see, the Environment Commissioner has strong views about agriculture!!

Details of the measures

The Commission has outlined three greening measures which a farmer would be required to comply with as appropriate.

- 7pc Ecological Focus Area
- Maintenance of permanent grassland
- crop diversification

These measures are chosen to address biodiversity and climate concerns.

All are controversial and both the Council and the Parliament have modified the measures.

The Council has proposed that national or regional authorities deliver greening through a combination of the Commission’s greening measures, equivalent agri-environment commitments in Pillar 2 (both existing and future), and equivalent national environmental certification schemes.

The equivalent measures must be effective and objective and meet the Commission’s expectations in terms of their potential to yield an equal or higher benefit for the climate and environment compared to the three measures set out in the Commission’s proposal.

The Parliament’s view is somewhat confusing!
An amendment giving similar flexibility to that suggested by the Council was rejected by the Parliament – by accident, rather than design – in my view.

So the original Commission text stands unchanged in the Parliament’s negotiating mandate, but a subsequent vote on an associated recital reintroduced the principle of equivalence and other categories of ‘green by definition’ practices.

In addition, the way the individual greening measures – particularly crop diversification and permanent grassland – were subsequently adopted in the Parliament’s Plenary vote provides for flexibility in how to implement the three measures.

Let us look specifically at the three measures, firstly:

Crop diversification

The respective institutions positions are remarkably similar, with only minor differences detectable. For example, on holdings with between 10 and 30ha of arable land, the Council’s position is slightly more demanding in limiting the main crop to 75pc of the arable land, while the EP’s position specifies 80pc.

The Council also exempts from this measure holdings where more than 75pc of the arable land is used for grass.

The Council would also exempt from this measure (and the Ecological Focus Area requirement) holdings where more than 75pc of the eligible agricultural area is covered by agri-environment scheme commitments.

Permanent grassland

The Parliament and the Council positions are very similar. We both provide for a national, regional, or sub-regional implementation, rather than the exclusive application at farm level originally proposed by the Commission.

Ecological Focus Areas

Both the Parliament and Council want these EFAs to be gradually introduced. The Parliament wants a three step approach, starting at 3pc, increasing to 5pc and then to 7pc where a review of the measures shows that the measure is effective.

The Council excludes holdings with arable land up to 15ha, rather than 10ha in the Parliament’s mandate, and where 75pc of the arable land is entirely used for production of grass, cultivated with leguminous crops, or left fallow.

The inclusion of leguminous crops in EFA is also provided for.

The different way permanent crops are handled is also noteworthy, with the EP effectively excluding them altogether from the area calculation, while the Council position sticks with the Commission proposal of including such crops in the area requirement, but then adds some types of cultivation into the list of EFAs, including “areas of permanent crops with more than 20 but less than 250 trees per hectare” and “permanent crops on slopes with 10pc gradient or more”.

Greening penalties and double funding

The penalties applied for non compliance with the greening requirements are encapsulated by the so-called horizontal regulation, which covers the financing, management and monitoring of the CAP.

Here the Parliament limits any withdrawal and reduction to the amount of the greening payment itself, so if a farmer chooses not to carryout greening, then he/she loses 30pc of the payment.

The Council goes further by proposing that the penalty for non-compliance with greening, would be 37.5pc of a farmers direct payment. This is 125pc of the greening payment or effectively 37.5pc of a farmer’s direct payment receipts rather than the 30pc envisaged by the Parliament.

Double funding is another area of difference between the institutional positions.

The Parliament’s negotiating mandate explicitly includes the greening requirements in the baseline above which all Pillar 2 payments can be made.

However, the Council keeps cross-compliance conditions in the baseline but excludes the greening requirements – opening up the prospect of identical environmental activities being paid for twice on the same land.

I have, chairman only addressed direct payment reforms. Discussion on the other files, rural development, market organisations and inspections and controls is also ongoing.

Let me finish by bringing bad news for next year – even before the CAP reforms start.

Yesterday in the Agriculture Committee we debated the need for “financial discipline” on direct payment claims submitted in 2013.

This is the first time ever that the financial discipline measure has been used. The Commission has made its calculation for a 5pc cut based on the conclusions of the European Council on the MFF or budget of the EU 2014-2020 and the demand to create a crisis reserve of €2.8 billion for the period.

But the Parliament has not accepted or agreed the MFF figures and therefore we are resisting this proposal for a 5pc reduction to all direct payments above €5,000.

Times are changing. We have heard much about austerity. Austerity has not hit the CAP budget and farmers must fully understand what this means for them – less money available from the public purse for support, but more demands on them to deliver for the environment, for animal welfare and public goods generally.

It is time ladies and gentlemen to focus on markets, returns to producers and production efficiencies – otherwise the income position of farmers will deteriorate and that is something which we do not want to see.

It led to the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community (EEC) and ultimately meant the creation of the European Union as we know it today.

To celebrate Europe Day, I will be visiting St Peter’s National School in Dromiskin, Co Louth this week (Thursday, 09 May) to talk to the pupils about how unity in Europe has brought peace and economic cooperation to all Member States, in the aftermath of two devastating world wars. And on Friday I will be visiting Realt Na Mara Boys National School in Co Meath.  

Europe Day takes on an extra special significance this year, as Ireland currently holds the Presidency of the EU.

Find out about the various Europe Week events taking place under the Presidency here.

Strengthening the food chain

Food safety is a core issue for the EU and a reliable agri-food chain is integral to ensuring our food is of good quality and safe for consumption.

The recent horsemeat DNA scandal, a case of food fraud rather than any safety risk as such, has further highlighted the importance of a secure and robust food chain in order to guarantee transparency for the consumer.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of which I am a member will soon be reviewing a package of measures adopted by the European Commission this week, which aim to strengthen the enforcement of health and safety standards for the whole agri-food chain.

Smarter, more effective quality control is at the core of this approach. This package will reduce the almost 70 pieces of existing legislation down to 5 pieces of legislation and aims to lessen the burdensome red tape on farmers, breeders and food business operators. The agri-food industry is now valued at €750 billion per annum, according to the Commission, and employs over 48 million people.

The Commission’s proposals cover the areas of official controls, animal health and plant health. You can read more about the proposals here.

MEPs will review the proposals with a view to making amendments or adopting a position on the changes before a final package agreement can be achieved. It is envisaged that the new measures would enter into force in 2016.

Waste not, want not

A January 2013 report revealed that as much as half of all food produced in the world or 2 billion tonnes ends up as waste every year – according to the UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

The Institution blamed unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free promotions and consumer demand for ‘perfect’ looking food produce, along with “poor engineering and agricultural practices”, inadequate infrastructure and poor storage facilities in its report.

This week, SafeFood issued a warning that the average Irish household is losing around €700 a year by wasting food or buying food that is not used and having to throw it out.

SafeFood’s Eat or Freeze it campaign encourages households to keep diaries of the food that they throw out on a weekly basis and to examine better ways to make the most of their weekly or daily grocery shopping.

Certain foods can be frozen, before going off, and defrosted and used later rather than just throwing it all out. It can be a real help to freeze a few cooked meals to defrost during the week in busy households.

For more tips on how to save money and reduce food wastage, check out the SafeFood website.

Fodder relief

The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, extended the duration of the Imported Fodder Transport Scheme for one week. The scheme will now run until this Friday (May 10th).

Maize silage is now also eligible under the scheme with up to 6,000 tonnes sourced for delivery to this country in addition to hay and other fodder being imported.

Help is at hand if anyone is experiencing difficulty in feeding livestock. Farmers are reminded that the animal welfare emergency assistance continues to operate where animal welfare is seriously at risk on the emergency helpline number – 1850 21 19 90.

Farmers have simply run out of fodder to feed their livestock, causing huge distress amongst the farming community. Having spoken to many farmers in my Ireland East constituency, I am well aware of this very difficult situation.

Thankfully, co-ops have agreed with the Agriculture Minister, Simon Coveney, to substantially increase the volume of imported fodder to cover the demand in the short to medium term. Co-ops have also agreed to consider the introduction of interest free credit, within limits, to farmers for the purchase of fertiliser, limited to the month of May.

The farm organisations have also been active in supporting their members through this difficult period.

The combined efforts should ensure farmers have access to fodder for the foreseeable future and will reassure farmers that fodder supply will not be an issue until grass growth improves.

It is important to watch out for family members and neighbours in difficulty and to realise that there are mental health stresses involved in these situations and great sensitivity is required.

While access to fodder is a priority, grass growth in the months ahead will be the key to ensuring that this problem is overcome. The latest initiatives agreed by the dairy co-ops today build on the measures already introduced by the Minister which were designed to deal with immediate challenges.

These measures follow the announcement of the €1 million fund to contribute to the transport costs of importing fodder to the country, which will reduce the cost of purchasing fodder for farmers by approximately a third.

Outstanding scheme payments are also being processed as quickly as possible to get the funds to the farmers.

Emergency assistance has also been made available under the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council’s early warning system to ensure that there is no reason for any farmer to see their animals starve.

Emergency assistance may be provided to farmers whose animals are experiencing serious welfare issues and where the farmer him/herself is unable to cope. These farmers can contact the helpline on 1850 211 990 or 01 6072379.

€90m for LEADER
The LEADER programme received a €90 million boost in recent days, following the announcement by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, that the sum will be released.

LEADER falls under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 and aims to support rural communities by improving the quality of life in those areas, encouraging job opportunities and sustainable business growth.

As a result of the increase in the European Commission’s co-financing rate from 55% to 85% for 2012 and 2013, the overall Programme complement reduced from €427 million to approximately €314 million, on the basis of the Programme achieving full spend by the end of 2013.

An embargo was placed on project approvals in February 2013 as original project allocations given to each Local Development Company (LDC) required readjustment.

The Department has now completed its rebalancing exercise and is liaising with Local Development Companies to check the status and readiness of projects. The Department will notify each Local Development Company of their allocation to the end of the Programme.

Allocations will be awarded on high impact potential according to Minister Hogan.

The LEADER co-funding rate will revert to 55% for all expenditure beyond the end of 2013 and as a consequence of this the overall Programme requirement will again change.

I welcome the release of funding under this scheme which is important for rural Ireland, in order to encourage development regionally and to support the community.

30% of all candidates running for each party at the next General Election must be women, according to the new rules. If parties fail to meet this quota, they will lose half their state funding.

Efforts to engage women in political life will not end there. By the following General Election, women must make up at least 40% of candidates.

Fine Gael recognises the value and contribution that women bring to politics. Women are currently under-represented in Irish political life, and across Europe. A broader participation will strengthen democracy by giving citizens the public representatives that truly represent society.

Fine Gael is currently rolling out a gender equality project and a series of networking training seminars. I attended one such seminar in Dublin on Saturday last (April 20th).

The aim of the seminars is to support women in taking more prominent and effective roles within Fine Gael. The workshops are led by female party members and provide an interesting insight into the political sphere and the various opportunities to take part in political life.

Saturday’s seminar focussed on increasing visibility of women in politics at a local and national level, how women can constructively engage in constituency roles and promoting awareness of gender equality across Ireland.

Watch the Fine Gael Women in politics video

Fodder crisis
On Monday of this week I addressed an IFA Leinster meeting in Newbridge, facilitated by Jer Bergin, Leinster Vice President and attended by IFA members.

Main discussions centred on the fodder crisis in Ireland arising from the exceptionally severe and prolonged bad weather.

I told those present that I understood morale is low amongst farmers. It is impacting on all livestock farmers who do not have grass for cattle or sheep to graze and have run out of carryover stocks of fodder.

I am deeply concerned about the practical and psychological impact this crisis is having and we have to take account of this and be ready to support and help in these most exceptional circumstances.

Having recently spoken to the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, I was also able to offer some assurance as the fodder situation is a priority for Mr Coveney’s department.

Payments of farm schemes will be advanced, inspections being carried out by the Department will take account of the current difficulties and Minister Coveney will draw on a crisis welfare fund.

On the issue of ameliorating some of the additional financial costs his Department is investigating where it can further assist and I very much welcome this.

Environmental targets

The European Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik is in Dublin this week to take part in an informal meeting of the EU Council of Environment Ministers, as part of a similar Council meetings being held under the Irish Presidency of the EU.

Speaking to the Irish Times this week, the Commissioner issued a stark warning on the need for serious action on climate change. New targets need to be set for 2030 and 2040 if the EU is to meet its ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050.

Achieving that objective will require a coherent policy approach from EU level to national and local government. It will take commitment and a serious attitude change to foster more sustainable approach to manufacturing, agriculture and daily living.

As a member of both the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Environment Committees, I have often stressed the inter-connectedness of these two policy areas. Eco-friendly policy and lifestyles will have to become second nature to us as European citizens if we are to make a difference.

Read the full article

Teacher training

It is now mandatory to offer induction programmes or personalised support and advice for new teachers in 15 EU Member States, including Ireland.
A new European Commission report on the conditions offered to teachers and school leaders in 32 countries reveals that while these programmes are all different in approach, they all support newcomers and reduce the likelihood that teachers will leave the profession early.

EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, has urged all Member States to “improve training and support for teachers so that they can fully develop their competences throughout their careers and ensure high quality and innovative teaching to equip young people with the skills they need for modern life”.

Read the full report

The event is wonderfully symbolic in itself. At 4am, thousands of people across Ireland, and across many other countries, will gather together in darkness and begin walk or run along a 5km distance, as dawn breaks to light their way and illuminate the finish line.

As around 80% of Pieta’s income comes from public donations, the fundraiser is a vital one, but thankfully the public continue to support the event in huge numbers.

On April 15th, the ‘Darkness Into Light’ event was officially launched in Navan. CEO of Pieta House Ms Joan Freeman spoke of the importance of reaching out to those who are feeling suicidal, supporting them and encouraging them to get help.

We need to encourage men in particular to open up, communicate and seek help as 8 out of every 10 deaths by suicide are male. Pieta House runs a specific awareness raising campaign aimed at men: www.mindourmen.ie

Pieta House has helped over 7,300 people in distress over the last 7 years, and will continue to provide support services thanks to fundraising events such as this one at various locations in Ireland on May 11th.

If you are interested in learning more about Pieta House or wish to join the Darkness into Light event, click here.

Vice-Chairwoman Mairead McGuinness was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and currently serves on the Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. She also serves on the European Parliament’s Delegations for relations with Australia and New Zealand, and for relations with the People’s Republic of China. She chaired the European Parliament Committee of Inquiry into the demise of Equitable Life, where thousands of pensioners lost out on their investments.

Prior to becoming an MEP, Ms McGuinness was a renowned and respected journalist, broadcaster and commentator in Ireland. She is an economist, with specialist training in the area of agriculture policy; she also holds a qualification in accounting and finance.