This article is from page 58 of the 2008-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 58 JPG
THE hopes of County Clare now sit squarely on the shoulders of 27-year- old farmer Des Quinlivin, who will represent the county at this years FBD Young Farmer of the Year Competition.
The young dairy farmer was last week announced as this year repre- sentative for this years competition, which is ran by Macra na Feirme in partnership with the IFA.
Des will pit his wits against the cream of young farmers from all over the country in the national final, which takes place in the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny on September | and 2nd.
The final adjudicating panel will include Bertie Ahern as Chairperson of the adjucation panel, Willie Fahy (IFAC Chief Executive), Dr Seamus Crosse (Director of Agriculture Re- search at Teagasc), Donal Fitzgibbon (Business and Community Training Consultant), Justin McCarthy (Live- stock editor, Irish Farmers Journal) and former Macra na Feirme presi- dents Seamus Phelan and Joe Healy.
The aim of this prestigious compett- tion, run by Macra na Feirme in part- nership with the IFA, is to recognise and reward the top young farmers in the country. Entrants are judged according to a number of criteria i1n- cluding farm business initiative and innovation, levels of farm efficiency
and enterprise quality, farm safety and environmental protection aware- ness, as well as agricultural knowl- edge and community involvement.
Des will now go forward to com- pete for the national prize of travel bursary worth €2,500 euro and €1,000 euro spending money.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Mac- ra’s Agricultural Affairs committee, Eddie O’Donnell, last week wel- comed a reduction in the price of milk quota in the priority pool un- der the Milk Quota Trading Scheme announced by Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith together with allow- ing individual access to milk quota for partners in Milk Production Part- nerships.
O’Donnell said it was an important step forward for the dairy industry that partners in Milk Production Partnership are treated as individu- als for the purpose of accessing milk quota from the milk quota exchange and priority pool.
“Individual access to acquire milk quota coupled with opening up of partnerships to non dairy farmers and allowing farm managers enter partnerships will make partnership farming more accessible and help attract new blood into the industry,” he said.
‘“‘Macra had consistently lobbied for the creation of new partnership arrangements to attract young peo- ple into the industry.”