Latest news with #Drennan
Agriland
3 days ago
- Health
- Agriland
Minister's TB proposals need to be ‘balanced and fair'
Ongoing discussions that aim to reset the country's TB programme must result in an 'action plan' that establishes 'the requirements' on each stakeholder from farmers right through to other players in the livestock industry, according to one farm organisation. The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association's (ICMSA), Dennis Drennan, said today (Wednesday, May 28) this stakeholder group should also include vets and key departments and agencies including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). According to the department TB disease levels in recent years have increased significantly. Herd incidence has increased from 4.31% in 2022 to 6.04% in 2024, a 36% increase in the number of herds restricted between 2022 and 2024. Earlier this month DAFM presented an initial set of around 30 proposals to farm organisations and other stakeholders at an extraordinary 'summit' hosted by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon. This was followed up with a series of bilateral meetings between the minister and farm organisations and other stakeholders where a revised set of proposals were put forward. TB According to Drennan an action plan on TB could be formulated that is 'perfectly attainable and could be agreed and implemented in a way that treated everyone with respect and fairness'. But the ICMSA president has also warned that farmers have 'very legitimate concerns' around the proposals put forward by DAFM and the minister. 'ICMSA's major concern relates to very significant requirements being placed on farmers, some of which may have serious farming and financial implications, without any corresponding requirements being placed any of the other players. 'ICMSA can't accept this singling out of farmers when it's obvious that if TB is to be dealt with, we all need clear distinct targets, procedures, and timeframes in place, certainly in relation to the role of wildlife in relation to TB spread,' Drennan added. He has also stressed that the ICMSA believe an animal should 'only be allowed to move twice following a TB test with a further TB test required if further movements take place'. He said that with the average animal moving 1.3 times in their lifetime, such a proposal would not be a major burden on farmers. Drennan also emphasised today the ICMSA is fully supportive of 'significant and meaningful actions' that will halt and then reverse the latest surge TB. 'We've always indicated that we're on board for a serious response that's going to get TB levels moving in the right direction. 'But that's going to mean that everyone involved in the movement, trade and sale of cattle plays their part as well and that must mean the finishing units, the dealers and the marts too. 'The proposals so far suggest more regulations on the farmers while everyone else carries on their sweet and unbothered way. It's not fair and it won't work,' he added.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
ICMSA president calls for ‘solidarity' among European dairy farmers
A call for 'solidarity' among European dairy farmers has been issued by the president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Denis Drennan, who is also on the executive committee of the European Milk Board (EMB). According to Denis Drennan farmers across Europe are facing the same challenges from increasing production costs, to tightening environmental regulations, and volatile milk prices regardless of where they farm. Drennan said extreme weather conditions during 2025, such as Storm Eowyn, highlight how 'vulnerable farmers are to factors beyond their control'. 'Difficulties in Ireland are not isolated. Whether in France, Germany, Lithuania or Spain farmers are facing rising production costs, fluctuating farm-gate prices, and a policy environment that often demands more while offering little in terms of fair market structures. 'In many regions, it is becoming increasingly clear that the survival of family farms – the backbone of our European agricultural model – is under severe threat,' Drennan added. Dairy farmers According to the ICMSA president this underlines why dairy farmers in Europe should show 'solidarity' to each other and why co-ordinated action at European level is 'essential'. He has highlighted the work of the EMB on promoting a 'comprehensive approach to sustainability' which encompasses 'economic, social and environmental pillars' to secure the future of dairy farming in Europe. According to Drennan dairy farmers need 'fair prices that cover production costs and proper market regulation that actively deals with destructive volatility and corporate margin-grabbing'. 'We desperately require political recognition of the strategic importance of family farms that must be placed at the centre of European agricultural policy. 'Recent examples, such as the successful implementation of voluntary production reduction schemes and national legislation prohibiting the purchase of foodstuffs below production cost, show that positive change is possible when the right instruments are employed. He believes that it does not matter whether it is a dairy farmer in the likes of Ireland, Denmark, Portugal or Poland – the fact remains that they need the same supports and measures in place to strengthen the economic foundation of dairy farming. According to Drennan this is 'a fair income, market transparency, and a viable future for the next generations of dairy farmers'.
Agriland
22-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
ICMSA claims commission's Dublin briefing on Mercosur was ‘worse than useless'
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has strong criticised the outcome of a briefing to Irish farmers by the European Commission, held in Dublin, on the Mercosur trade deal describing it as 'worse than useless'. The president of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, said that 'whether deliberately or inadvertently' commission officials had not allowed adequate time to deal with the questions posed by ICMSA and others. He said farmer representatives had travelled to Dublin 'without the opportunity to even ask the vital questions- much less receive a detailed answer'. Drennan said: 'Farmers are the most sector within the EU that will be most impacted by Mercosur and because farming and agri generally play such a disproportionate role in Irish life there's a good argument for saying that Irish farmers would be the single most affected sector in the EU by the disaster that will be Mercosur. 'That being the case, we would have thought that the very least we are entitled to is sufficient time to ask and have answered the serious questions that the importance of the meeting absolutely merited'. European Commission representatives have not commented on the ICMSA's criticism. ICMSA According to the ICMSA president farmers received an 'unsatisfactory presentation that was over with without any opportunity to ask even the most basic questions that Irish farmers demand are answered' in relation to the briefing from European Commission representatives. The ICMSA has compiled a list of questions which it believes remained to be answered in relation to the Mercosur deal. Drennan said these include: How can the EU Commission guarantee that an animal did not get growth promoters? What are the sanctions for a country if growth promoters found? Does the EU Commission accept that the 'cattle traceability system in Mercosur countries is inferior' and how will it ensure that beef from only approved cattle will enter the EU food chain? How many staff will the EU Commission have at meat plants/on the ground to ensure the agreement is implemented correctly? In the EUDR, the EU Commission have implemented a complex system for EU farmers to comply with, will the same rules apply to Mercusor farmers and how will the EU Commission verify their data? If a steak arrives in the EU, how will the EU Commission know that it did not come from deforested areas? What are the labelling requirements for Mercosur beef and how will a consumer know if they are consuming it? The proposed €1 billion compensation fund – what is the funding source, is it from CAP or is it additional funding and how will it be triggered and how will the funding be distributed? The ICMSA president also said that European Commission officials should be in a position to answer questions on these issues and said that it believes the outcome of the Dublin briefing 'only serve to compound and increase farmer anxieties'.
Agriland
21-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
CAP merging proposals slammed as ‘creative accounting'
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has claimed that the European Commission's plans to change the structure of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and merge its funding pillars amounts to 'creative accounting'. Denis Drennan, the association's president, said he had 'little doubt' that the 'manoeuvre' was being employed to 'disguise an effective reduction in one or both funds'. 'The recent comments by commission officials that seemed to indicate a renewal of interest and concern around the security of the EU's food supply can now be discounted as the accountants and bean counters resume control ad overall direction,' Drennan said. 'We have [the] commission…telling everyone that they realise now the importance of funding the farming that feeds the population, while simultaneously and deliberately merging the two farmer and rural-related funds as a precursor to a grandiose announcement of the new total, as if the funding allocated had increased,' he added. 'The whole exercise is as transparent as it is cynical. Drennan said that the CAP is central to Irish and EU agriculture, and that CAP funding has been undermined in successive reforms. 'The EU has a decision to make, whether to protect its food production base that is central to EU food security through a dedicated budget, or abandon that funding system and allow the dismantling of its food production base,' the ICMSA president said. 'That's the choice and the government must clarify its position on this matter and declare it a red line, in the [EU budget] negotiations,' he added. CAP single fund The comments from the ICMSA come after farm organisation protests in Dublin and Brussels against the changes, which, it is understood, will be formally announced by the commission on July. A protest in Dublin yesterday (Tuesday, May 20) was organised by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS). The IFA has warned the commission against 'stripping away the CAP budget in favour of a single fund approach to the EU budget'. The president of ICOS, Edward Carr, has also stressed that CAP is the 'foundation of a sustainable and competitive farming and agri-food sector in Ireland and Europe'.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Father's mission: From tragedy to drowning prevention advocacy
DES PERES, Mo. – Drowning is fast, often silent and more common than many people realize. As part of Drowning Prevention Month, lifeguards, swim coaches and community members gathered at The Lodge at Des Peres on Wednesday night to hear a powerful message from a father who turned personal tragedy into a mission to save lives. Bill O'Melia, co-founder of the Drennan's Dreams Foundation, spoke to aquatic staff and the public about the loss of his son Drennan 15 years ago. 'A drowning is something that happens to other people until you're other people,' O'Melia said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now He shared that his family took all the recommended precautions. 'We thought we had our bases covered. I mean, we had all our boys in swim lessons as early as we could,' he said. Just one day before his death, Drennan won a swimming competition. Drennan was an experienced swimmer, standing at 5'8″. He drowned in a pool with two lifeguards on duty and 35 other children in the water. He was later found in only three and a half to four feet of water. The presentation emphasized that drowning is often quiet and easily missed, especially as summer approaches and more families spend time at pools, lakes and beaches. Missouri lawmakers approve referendum to repeal abortion-rights amendment O'Melia's goal is to help people recognize what drowning really looks like and understand that even strong swimmers are at risk. Swim safety advocates at the event urged constant supervision, early swim lessons, pool fencing and staying within arm's reach of children while they're in the water. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 35 drowning deaths across the state in 2024, up from 20 the year before. 'We're putting a face to drowning prevention. It's somebody's son, it's somebody's friend, it's somebody's brother,' O'Melia said. With Memorial Day approaching, the timing of the message is especially critical. This weekend marks the final opportunity for individuals to get certified as lifeguards before the summer season begins. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
