IFA make pre-Budget submission
IFA President John Bryan addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture last week, where he outlined IFA’s pre-Budget issues, including the importance of farm schemes and taxation measures that support the development of the sector.
Mr Bryan said, “Like all other families, farm families have been negatively impacted by increased taxes and charges and reduced services, and will be affected by any new taxes in the budget. They cannot be hit on the double by further cuts to farm schemes. There is no justification for this in Budget 2013”.
The IFA President continued, “Farming is experiencing a very difficult year in 2012, through a combination of dreadful weather, soaring input costs and the impact of previous substantial cuts to farm schemes. In last year’s Budget, funding for farm schemes was significantly reduced, with a cut in funding for the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and a 10% cut in funding for REPS.
“IFA believes that the maintenance of funding for farm schemes must be prioritised in the Agriculture Budget 2013. In addition, it is important that existing taxation measures that support restructuring, farm investment, consolidation and land mobility are retained.”
Mr Bryan noted, “It is critical that funding is maintained for Disadvantaged Areas, REPS, AEOS, forestry and the TAMS programme for on-farm investment in 2013. The Suckler Cow Scheme must be continued in 2013, to build on the improvements in herd quality delivered by the scheme to date”.
On farm taxation, Mr Bryan stated, “to achieve the Food Harvest 2020 growth targets, farm restructuring is required. It is important that existing taxation measures that support farm transfer, investment and land mobility are retained in Budget 2013, and where restrictions in existing measures are proving a barrier to the development of the sector, these should be extended. In particular, the IFA is asking the Government to facilitate farm consolidation and improve land mobility.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Portlaoise
Sunday 26 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Heavy rain
Temperature: 5 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South west
