Mairead McGuinness Fine Gael MEP

Last year was a difficult year for Irish farming, with farm incomes down 15 per cent, according to Teagasc’s latest survey just released.

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.

We are all too aware of the harmful effects of hazardous alcohol consumption.

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.

Youth sector workers or those involved with educational programmes that are interested in learning more about EU funding opportunities, can contact the Irish not-for profit organisation, Léargas.

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.

Thursday, May 9th is Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration which was presented by the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, on May 9th, 1950.

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.

May 6th, 2013 Rural Ireland is experiencing a very serious shortage of fodder after an extremely long winter and spring. It is now officially summertime and we can only hope that the weather improves dramatically.

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.

Fine Gael introduced legislation to ensure all political parties seek to increase the number of women in politics.

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 ‘Darkness into Light’ annual fundraising initiative run by Pieta House, the network of suicide and self-harm crisis centres, takes place on May 11th this year.

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.

04 April 2013  Youth clubs across Ireland provide a wonderful service to our next generation by creating a safe, responsible environment for teenagers to socialise and become active and informed citizens.

Local youth clubs that are interested in expanding their services might wish to consider the various funding mechanisms provided by the European Union.

A new European funding instrument has just been announced and the chosen Irish recipient project could be awarded up to €60,000 (which will be co-financed at a rate of 80%).

The EU’s ‘Youth in Action’ programme supports young people and youth leaders that work with local community groups in organising various activities and information services.

It aims to help youth leaders improve communication services and increase user-friendly information products. Its key themes are responsible citizenship, participation of young people in public life, cultural diversity and inclusion of young people.

In recent days, the European Commission announced a new ‘call for funding’ proposal under the 4.5 programme section. Organisers of the fund are searching for project proposals that aim to raise awareness of the EU and active citizenship amongst young people.

Project ideas should focus on increasing the active participation of informed young people as EU citizens or with particular regard to the upcoming 2014 European elections.

The successful projects must be able to start by November or December this year and last 9-15 months in total. Applications for funding must be submitted by June 27th.

Click here for more information and how to apply.

2013 is the European Year of the Citizen – during which the EU aims to raise awareness of citizenship rights. Find out more here.

112 Champions
We cannot undervalue the importance of our emergency services or the dedication of our emergency services personnel.

As a member of the MEP 112 Champions group, I have pledged to promote the European Emergency Number 112. Anyone, anywhere in Europe can call this number in the event of an emergency and will have their call answered.

It is a number to remind ourselves and our loved ones of since it can be used across Europe and might prove useful when travelling or on holiday.

Many lives can be saved if medical treatment is administered quickly – so please make note of the 112 European Emergency number and spread the word so we can generate a greater level of awareness.

Congratulations to Helen
My warmest congratulations to our new Meath East Fine Gael TD, Helen McEntee.

Helen received 11,473 votes in last week’s bye-election to retain the seat of her late father, Shane McEntee.

It was a proud day for the McEntee family, Fine Gael and supporters. As a 26 year-old Irish woman living in Meath East, Helen will be a strong voice in the Dáil. I wish her well.

March 19th, 2013

March 19th and the European Parliament turned green as we joined with fellow Irish MEPs and colleagues and friends in the European institutions to mark our national day.

It was a privilege to host the event and we were delighted to welcome Minister Brian Hayes and Commissioner Geoghegan to the event.

It was an occasion to celebrate all that is good about Irish food and drink and to spend time with colleagues discussing EU issues.

Mairead welcomes Ceolteoir Carolan to the European Parliament

I was delighted to welcome Ceolteoir Carolan to the event – the group of three harpists Rachel McGuinness, Fiona Gryson and Caoimhe Harte entertained and enthralled the gathering.

I was also every greatful to the many companies who joined us in making the event so successful – Ferdia Fine Foods, Largo Foods, The Irish Dairy Board, Dawn farm Foods, Greenisle foods, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, First Ireland Spirits, Cooley Distillery and The Wild Geese Wine and Spirit Company.

Tourism Ireland showed a fabulous video of Ireland and its many attractions. It would make me want to holiday there!

Reviewing the Food Chain
The horsemeat DNA scandal has served to increase an awareness and interest amongst consumers as to the complexities of the food chain. It is far more intricate than many ever realised and includes many ‘middlemen’ so to speak, before the product reaches the customer.

We consume more and more processed foods which undergo a long journey along the food chain before reaching the kitchen table. It is essential to look at the food chain from the perspectives of health and quality control.

EU policymakers are also examining the food chain with regard to its commercial practices and the issue of retailer power over producers.

I was very interested to attend an exchange of views with the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, Michel Barnier, with fellow members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture yesterday (Monday).

Commissioner Barnier addressed MEPs on commercial practices in the food chain. It follows the recent publication of the European Commission’s Retail Action Plan and consultation on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain.

€227m Health Booster
Health research across the EU received a welcome boost with a cash injection of €227 million, available for the Marie Curie fellowship grants under the current seventh Framework Programme for Research (2007-13).

According to the European Commission, it is the single biggest amount to be provided under the Marie Curie Actions fund and will be awarded to around 1,000 experienced researchers this year.

It is vital that the EU continues to support and encourage innovative and effective health research so that our medical industry can grow and adapt to meet the future needs of our citizens. Recent Marie Curie grant beneficiaries have carried out ground-breaking research related to Hepatitis C and malaria.

The total 2007-2013 budget for the Marie Curie Actions is €4.7 billion, almost half of which (48%) supports PhD training for researchers, with 24% allocated to fellowships for researchers with more than four years of post-Masters’ experience.

Individual fellowships will continue to be provided under the new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions as part of the Horizon 2020 programme, which starts in 2014.

E-twinning 

eTwinning offers a platform for 100,000 schools in 33 European countries to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share and, in short, feel and be part of the most exciting interactive learning community in Europe. 

As part of the new Erasmus for All programme from 2014, schools that wish to cooperate across borders will be able to do so with support from the European Commission.

The eTwinning scheme does not finance individual projects but offers tools and support to teachers and pupils such as the eTwinning portal and seminars for teachers. The scheme presents a cost-effective way for schools to take part in international cooperation and for pupils to experience other cultures and develop interpersonal skills.

It is really important that future generations understand the value of international relationships and respect for other cultures, as Europe continues to become more integrated. It can also spark an interest in languages and international affairs in young people.

The best school twinning projects for 2013 were honoured recently at the eTwinning Awards in Lisbon. The top prize went to the Rainbow Village project which brought together young people aged 12 to 15 years from France, Greece, Romania, the UK, Turkey, Italy, Slovakia and Poland. The pupils created a virtual post-Armageddon world and explored themes such as survival, conservation and citizenship.

I would encourage schools in my constituency to find out how they can get involved in eTwinning.

Léargas is the eTwinning reference point in Ireland. Find out more about eTwinning in Ireland at the Léargas website.

Click here for more information from the Commission’s eTwinning portal.

March 13th, 2013 Agricultural and food issues have dominated this week’s plenary session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Yesterday morning, we focused on the discovery of horsemeat DNA in some beef food products across the EU and the related food supply chain issues.

By now, most citizens are very aware of the issue and are quite rightly asking questions as to how this food fraud happened and why did food industry regulations designed to protect the food supply chain from contamination, failed in this case.

There is a great deal of confusion out there on this issue, not least amongst the general public. We have robust food quality legislation and rules in place across Europe, but how effective are those guidelines?

Firstly, we need to clarify what rules exist in each Member State and conduct a comparison. There needs to be conformity on issues of quality control. Consumers need to be reassured that the industry is being adequately policed and that those caught carrying out food fraud, as in this instance, will be caught and punished.

Food labelling checks also need to be closely examined so that fraudsters cannot simply change product labels in a bid to pass off a lower cost product for a higher profit. Unannounced inspections are needed and so too is more rigorous checks for authenticity in the food chain. DNA testing is the only way to really check authenticity and it will be used more regularly in the future.

The food industry as a whole is still reeling from the horsemeat scandal and will be dealing with its aftermath for sometime. How we react to this crisis and the action taken in its aftermath will impact on future consumer confidence, so we need to address the very real concerns in an effective manner.

CAP milestone
Today MEPs vote on a negotiating mandate on the CAP reform.

While we have a long road to travel in terms of negotiations until we reach a final agreement, today represents another important milestone for the future of the CAP.

The debate will have to deepen even further as we move into the difficult, final stages of the reform process when the European Parliament and Council sit down to reach agreement.

In all member states we need to openly debate how best to use the direct support payments, how to target them, including the possibility of using coupled payments for sensitive sectors, especially livestock production. But the debate should not put farmers against farmer; it should rather focus on how to secure the future for all farmers.

This includes focusing on market reforms, shorter supply chains and a better return to farmers for the food they deliver and the public goods which they also deliver for EU consumers and citizens.

We have received a great deal of of correspondence from concerned citizens urging reform of the CAP, so that environmental concerns are addressed. Our compromise amendments deal with this and I will be drafting a separate blog about the outcome of today’s vote.

Julie represents Ireland

After attending CeBIT 2013 in Brussels Julie Cullen visted the European Parliament; here pictured with Mairead McGuinness and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science.

Julie Cullen, a teacher at St Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda, represented Ireland as a member of the European Commission’s Young Advisor’s Expert Group for the EU’s Digital Agenda.

Julie travelled to Brussels to attend a major IT Trade conference CeBIT 2013 recently, as a representative of the high-level forum.

In addressing the conference, the EU Commissioner responsible for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, stressed the importance of technology skills in order to meet labour market needs and to support innovation across Europe, in light of the current IT skills shortage. Commissioner Kroes announced a €1 million investment in a Grand Coalition which will help address the skills shortage by raising awareness of the opportunities in the ICT field and improving education. I do think our universities and further education bodies need to tailor their courses to match the future needs of employers so young graduates can be assured of a job at the end of their studies. There should be a greater level of engagement between industry leaders and Education ministers and others for that reason.

The importance of involving individuals like Julie, who work with the next generation of graduates and represent young people’s views, will be crucial in understanding how to harness the ideas and energy that our youngest citizens have in future.