Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture & Rural Development, Martin Kenny TD, has written today to Minister McConalogue calling on him to reinstate the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM).  The scheme was recently discontinued without warning, leaving farmers further out of pocket.

Speaking today, Teachta Kenny said:

“One of my first actions as the new Agriculture spokesperson was to raise the ongoing difficulties with the SIM scheme directly with the Minister.  This is a very clear example of schemes – be they European or Departmental – that are unreliable for farmers. 

“This scheme lacked clarity from the beginning, and now we see a withdrawal of it by the Department – after farmers across the country had sowed their crops in good faith that they would come under the scheme. 

“This is a bad precedent to set in the context of having the Farmers Charter of Rights recently established, and then discontinuing a scheme of this nature.  A unilateral action like this flies in the face of the Charter of Rights.

“I have urged the Minister to reinstate the scheme without further delay.  While I understand that it was initially discontinued due to the possibility of a shortage of straw this year, the decision did not take into account the very difficult growing conditions tillage farmers have faced.

“Farmers have had bad weather all year which resulted in late sowing of winter and spring crops.  The rain we have seen all July will likely result in a late harvest and probably great difficulty in getting straw bailed. 

“When farmers prosper, the rural economy as a whole benefits.  If we want to see farming thrive, the very least we must offer farmers are reliable schemes.”