Proud to be an Irish farmer

Proud to be an Irish farmer and food producer

The IGA is launching a new event in conjunction with FBD Insurance for all farmers this Autumn, titled “Proud to be an Irish farmer and food producer”. This event will take place on the 30th of October in the Horse and Jockey Hotel, Horse and Jockey, Co. Tipperary, E41 AP86. The event will commence at 7.30 pm with light refreshments available, and all farmers are welcome to attend this event. There is no pre-registration required to attend.

The overall aim for this new event is to showcase the positive contribution Irish farmers and food producers make to the Irish economy, rural communities, and the environment. Commenting on this new event Patricia O Halloran FBD said, “FBD Insurance is proud to sponsor this event. As a longstanding partner to the farming industry, FBD is committed to supporting and acknowledging the good work that is being done by farmers to meet sustainability targets and we look forward to hearing more about this at the IGA’s Proud to be an Irish farmer and food producer event.”
Farmers perceive that they are being blamed for many of the environmental issues Ireland faces, without any clear recognition of the vital role they play in food production and their role in protecting and enhancing the many habitats on their farms.

Not withstanding the task ahead for farmers to meet the requirement for improvement in water quality and climate change targets. It is important to highlight the many positive things that are happening on Irish farms. The event will provide farmer attendees with some clear facts on Irish agriculture so that they can discuss with those outside the farming sector the positive benefits and good work being carried out on farms right across the country. Facing into the winter period we would hope that the event will leave attendees with a sense of pride in being a farmer, producing quality food.

Succession and inheritance is an issue that eventually must be dealt with by all farm families. One of the biggest decisions any farmer will make will be the transfer of the family farm to the next generation. Many issues arise when planning the transfer of the farm, with numerous questions to be answered. For instance, who is to receive the farm, when will it be transferred, when should the planning process start, how much will it cost both the transferor and the transferee, and what provisions will need to be made for the lifetime security of the transferor/s. These are only a few of the issues to arise when contemplating the transfer of the family farm. Many other issues will need to be dealt with to achieve a successful outcome for both the transferor/s and transferee/s.

Session 1
Succession and Inheritance – Solicitor Ms. Aisling Meehan, will cover this important topic with a 20-minute presentation. Following her presentation, Aisling will have an open discussion with former IGA president and dairy farmer Paul Hyland, to tease out what makes some agreements work both within families and outside a farmer’s immediate family. As with all arrangements there can be challenges in setting up and following through on agreements, and this session, as well as showcasing how to set up agreements, Aisling will look at the common pitfalls that farmers and business can fall into when developing a partnership agreement or a successful succession plan. There will be ample opportunity during this session for attendees to ask questions on farm succession and inheritance.

Take advantage of Aisling’s insights as we enter the winter period which often gives farmers the head space that’s needed to tackle the important topic of farm succession and more importantly initiate a plan and discussion with potential transferees.

Session 2
Professor Thia Hennessy, of UCC will present for 20 minutes outlining the key metrics that demonstrate the critical role of Irish agriculture in food production, environmental enhancement and rural life. Professor Hennessy’s presentation will be followed by a discussion with Jack Kennedy editor of the Irish Farmers Journal to analyse further the information which Thia will cover. Again, there will be plenty of time for questions from attendees during this discussion.
In addition to this session, the IGA will prepare a factsheet which will be available to all attendees to take home with them, listing important facts on the positive contribution Irish agriculture makes to the Irish economy, environment, and rural life.

We hope that this factsheet will help especially in the lead up to and over the Christmas period when farm families will be meeting non farming families and friends, providing an opportunity to have a balanced and informed debate on the very positive contribution Irish agriculture makes to Irish life and providing nutritious food to over 40 million people worldwide.

Free Event
Please come along to this free event to have your questions answered on the topic of farm succession and arm yourself with the facts on Irish agriculture that will allow you to have an informed debate with people not familiar with farming and agriculture on the unique positive contribution made by Irish family farms.

Again, to emphasise all farmers and farm families are welcome to this free event kindly sponsored by FBD insurance. Without the assistance of FBD it would not be possible for the IGA to host this event. There are plenty of reasons why you should be proud to be an Irish farm food producer so come along and enjoy the celebration of Irish agriculture and learn all about the critical issues when considering transferring the family farm to the next generation.

Speaker Profiles
Ms. Aisling Meehan is an Agricultural Solicitor with significant experience working with dairy farming families. Aisling is originally from a successful farming family in Co. Clare, as well as running her own legal business. Aisling is married to Brian, and have four young children, Philip, Maureen, Holly and Fiachra. Aisling and Brian also run their own family farm in Clare.

Aisling Meehan graduated from University of Limerick with an honour’s degree in Law and Accounting. She trained in the Tax Department of one of Ireland’s top five law firms, William Fry graduating as a Solicitor and Chartered Tax Adviser (AITI). She has also completed FETAC 180-hour certificate in Farming and was awarded a level 5 FETAC certificate in Animal and Crop Production as well as a level 6 FETAC certificate in Farm Business.

Professor Thia Hennessy is Head of the College of Business and Law at UCC and prior to this she was Dean of Cork University Business School. A highly cited agricultural economist, Prof Hennessy has published numerous articles on the economic performance of the agri-food sector and is a regularly invited expert to policy-making bodies such as the European Parliament and the OECD.

Prior to joining UCC, she was employed by Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, where she was responsible for the National Farm Survey (NFS) which produces the official statistics on farm income in Ireland. In this role, she led a multidisciplinary team to adapt the survey to develop a unique suite of sustainability indicators. Thia is a regular contributor to TV, radio and the printed press clearly disseminating complex information supported by statistical evidence.