Carol Nolan urges urgent EU aid for farmers and Midlands clarity
Carol Nolan criticised the EU's early handling of the crisis and called for swift, practical supports for Irish farmers and clarity on the Midlands Just Transition. She urged the Taoiseach and the European Commission to adopt emergency agricultural measures, remove barriers to credit, accelerate payments and publish the Mulvey report.
EU response and need for solidarity
The speaker said the European Commission and Parliament's initial response to the crisis "could hardly have been described as ideal," though the pace has since picked up somewhat. She argued that European solidarity must deliver practical, timely supports and that the Commission must mobilise all means at its disposal to help Member States coordinate national responses.
Agriculture sector concerns and emergency measures
Carol Nolan highlighted an Irish Farmers Association submission asking the Government and the EU Commission to introduce emergency measures, including using the EU Common Market Organisation regulation to provide direct payments for price-related market losses. She warned of an "enormous" cash flow and liquidity crisis for Irish farmers and the agri-food sector and repeated her support for a market disruption fund linked to a credit guarantee.
State aid, credit guarantees and payment acceleration
The deputy noted that agricultural SMEs cannot access the credit guarantee scheme due to state aid rules and said this needs urgent reassessment. She called for escalating or bringing forward basic payments quickly to address immediate liquidity needs and pressed for clarity on who signs off EU aid packages.
Private storage aid and market certainty
Carol Nolan said she has been calling since early March for a private storage aid scheme and described the EU's designation of around £80 million as "not sufficient." She argued that small, uncertain packages allow unpredictability to remain in markets and must be addressed to support farmers.
Midlands Just Transition and peat extraction clarity
The deputy urged prompt publication of the Mulvey report and warned that the Midlands will require a socio-economic transformation to meet EU climate goals, which include cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. She welcomed a decision by board Planala to grant Bordnamona leave to apply for substituted consent, noting workers and contractors had been left in limbo and saying that too much power in the hands of board Planala must change.
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I welcome the opportunity to make some brief remarks to hear today. When this crisis first emerged, the response of the European Union at Commission and Parliament level could hardly have been described as ideal. Pleased for meaningful solidarity on the part of Italy, which was enduring horrendous suffering, were met with bureaucratic resistance and an absence of regulatory flexibility. Fortunately, the pace of the response has picked up somewhat since then. Even if many sectors, especially those within agriculture, remain deeply concerned about the scale of the response and the effectiveness of the response, what I want is genuine and constructive engagement with our European partners. No nation is strong enough to weather this storm alone. European solidarity has to become more than a cliché that is trotted out from time to time. If it is to mean anything, it has to deliver practical and timely supports. I note that the European Commission is co-ordinating a common European response and that it is taking action to reinforce our public health sectors and mitigate the socio-economic impact in the European Union. This will require mobilising all means at the EU's disposal to help Member States co-ordinate their national response. I want to note the recent submission by the Irish Farmers Association, which proposed that the Government and the EU Commission act swiftly to introduce emergency measures, including utilising the EU Common Market Organisation regulation to support farmers with direct payments for price-related market losses. This is going to be one of the central concerns as we go forward into 2020 and indeed 2021. The cash flow and liquidity crisis facing Irish farmers and the agri-food sector is absolutely enormous. Only last week I supported the call for a market disruption fund linked to some form of credit guarantee. At present, agricultural SMEs cannot access the credit guarantee scheme due to state aid rules and this needs to be reassessed and resolved urgently. It means escalating or bringing forward basic payments, then let that happen very quickly because it is needed. I also want to refer to the European Commission private storage aid scheme. This is something I have been calling for since early March. However, the response of the EU to designate a fairly paltry £80 million to cover the costs of private storage right across the Union is not sufficient. I would just like to know, Taoiseach, who actually signs off on these packages? Surely there must be a sense that to do so is just counterproductive in that it allows for uncertainty and unpredictability to remain in the markets. It has to be addressed. In terms of the EU response to the Midlands, I would like to clarify what is going to happen and what is happening with the Just Transition Strategy. I am calling on you here today Taoiseach to ensure that the Mulvey report is published without delay. As you are aware, the wider EU strategy aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This will require a socio-economic transformation in regions like the Midlands, which has historically relied on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries like Bordnamona. At present, peat extraction is being held hostage on board Planala, who only issued a decision earlier today to grant Bordnamona leave to apply for substituted consent. I welcome this decision and I believe that common sense has prevailed on this occasion on board Planala. Because workers, communities and peat harvesting contractors were all left in limbo and that is unacceptable. We need to ensure that it is not tied up in the uncertainty and indeed all power in the hands of on board Planala. That needs to change. Taoiseach, we now recognise that it is not the time for divisiveness within Europe. But we do need to recognise also the scale of the challenge and we need to be ambitious enough to take the steps to meet that challenge and ensure that all sectors are supported. to hopefully prepare for 構 exercising on the surface. So I'll work with you today before we start moving on top of this one. dimension of the shadow. It is now two sports, one of the people uh sonic syndrome that channels call the earth over the background. For this semester and if there is an aircraft then we runкивanging across this system withiovascular
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