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THE importance of continued re- search and innovation in the food industry was highlighted last week with the announcement of a major new postgraduate programme in- volving two of Ireland’s foremost universities and Teagasc.

The Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, last week launched the new initiative in postgraduate educa- tion in the agri-food sector. The Food Graduate Development Programme, has been allocated funding of €1.1 million for a five-year period by the Department of Agriculture under the Food Institutional Research Measure Coa OR

Pioneered jointly by Teagasc, Uni-

versity College, Dublin (UCD) and University College, Cork (UCC), the Food Graduate Development Pro- gramme will provide skills training to postgraduate students and research staff in Universities and Research institutions in Ireland engaged in FIRM food research projects.

The project is being co-ordinated by Professor Michael Gibney, Pro- fessor of Food and Health at UCD and the Director of Training is Dr Alan Kelly, Dean of Graduate Stud- ies at UCC.

“The aim of my Department, in funding the Programme, is to ad- dress the needs of the food industry by ensuring that postgraduate stu- dents and research staff engaged in food research projects gain an un-

derstanding of industry expectations and skills required for duties requir- ing rapid decisions on problem solv- ing in an industrial environment,’ said Minister Coughlan at last weeks launch.

This will complement the research skills acquired in the course of their research projects.”

Speaking after the launch, Profes- sor Mike Gibney, Professor of Food and Health at UCD, said that the overall objective of the Programme is to improve skills training through the creation of a modularised series of graduate training programmes.

Programme modules will have a strong emphasis on the skills re- quired of leaders in the agri-food sector, food industry and other re-

search institutions nationally and internationally.

Dr Alan Kelly, Dean of Gradu- ate Studies at UCC and Director of Training of the Programme, high- lighted the changing national context of postgraduate education and con- tinuing professional development, Where inter-institutional collabora- tion delivering high-level transfer- able skills allowing graduates to make the maximum impact in their careers in the knowledge economy. He described the Food programme as a pioneering model for how such programmes may develop in the fu- ne Ken

For more information on the Food Graduate Development Programme, check out www.foodpostgrad.1ie.

ENNIS Town Council is looking to win support for a proposal that would see the council increased from nine to 12 members.

Green Party councillor Donal O’Bearra put forward the motion calling for the council to make a submission to the local electoral area boundary committees to increase the number of council seats to 12.

Cllr O’Bearra said the explosion in development around the fringes of Ennis and the increases in popula- tion called for the expansion for the council.

He said, “I think it was the late ‘80s since the last changes were made to the Ennis boundary. We have spoken before about increasing the council membership from nine to 12 mem- lero Ece

“I think it’s time we make a sub- mission for greater representation on the council.”

Fianna Fail councillor Tom Glynn supported Cllr O’Bearra’s motion. He said the council had to look at in- creasing membership in the context of recent discussions on the exten-

sion of the Ennis boundary.

He said, “I think this is a good op- portunity to go ahead and do this, particularly when we are looking at increasing the town boundary. | defi- nitely would second that motion.”

The motion for the local electoral area boundary committees will also include a request for the regulations for independent candidates standing in local elections to be modified.

Independent candidates are re- quired to obtain the signatories of 14 people before their name can be put on the ballot paper.

Independent councillor Brennan said the procedure should only apply to independents seeking election for the first time.

“I don’t see why we should have to do the same thing again and again. If it’s for first-time candidates that’s fair enough, but I think it is unfair that we are discriminated against.”

Cllr Tom Glynn maintained candi- dates from political parties faced a similar challenge in trying to win the support of their part colleagues.

He said, “Its different but it’s the same. You don’t have to go before a political party.”

SCHOOL management at Ennis CBS Bunscoil, say the cost of using the Fairgreen means the school will have to cut back it’s physical activity joyueycau-beavea en

In a letter to Ennis Town Council, school principal Br Liam de Rdiste, Chairperson of the Board of Manage- ment Michael Gallagher and Chair- person of the Parent’s Association Jim McMahon, state that the charge imposed by the council for using the facility, is creating a serious financial burden on the school.

In 2006 the council approved a new rate paying system of €15 for a two hour slot in Tim Smythe Park, for clubs and sporting organisations, de-

spite calls for a special dispensation to be given to the school.

In the letter, school management express their disappointment that the council is continuing to charge for the use of the Fairgreen and has described the €750 bill the school has received for 100 hours usage as mo eles waste le ian

“We believe in the present climate of financial constraints on schools, that our request for special consider- ation (free usage) to continue to offer a comprehensive sports programme was both reasonable and deserving. We are disappointed that Ennis Town Council seemingly felt otherwise.

“We would humbly request that En- nis Town Council would reconsider its decision or at least assist us in

some way to continue our sporting programme, bearing in mind that we are a non-profit making organisation Surviving on the meagre finances re- ceived from the Department of Edu- cation and Science”.

The letter acknowledges the coun- cil’s ongoing efforts to provide sport- ing and recreational facilities in En- ah

“In an age of computer technology itis crucial that the youth of our town have facilities 1n which they can ac- tively participate in sporting and out- door activities. Ennis Town Council has been to the fore in providing these facilities.”

However, management say that un- der the present financial situation, the school will have to review its sports

programme.

“We would, with modesty, say that we have contributed in no small way to the development of this town and beyond. We have been able to do this because we have had the use of the excellent Fairgreen facility to com- pliment our pitch. However, due to your decision, we will now have to review our monetary constraints”.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting of Ennis Town Council. Mayor Tommy Brennan said that the flat rate system had been introduced in the interests of fairness and all users.

He said “It was a small bit of money and we agreed on it at the time. If it is free for the CBS then it has to be free for every other school, and sports club in Ennis”

THE Irish Farmers Association are gearing up for a major fight in the coming days on the issue of the World Trade Organisation. That was the message that came from an emer- gency meeting of the IFA Executive Council in Portlaoise on Thursday night.

The meeting was called in response to what the IFA called “the immedi- ate threat that the EU Trade Com- missioner, Peter Mandelson, would sell out Irish agriculture and particu- larly the beef and livestock sector”.

Michael Treacy from IFA’s Brus- sels office attended the meeting and update the Council on Mandelson’s latest maneuverings.

“The details were discussed and the prospects of the halving of beef prices to 60p/Ib, 1f Mandelson is not stopped, was top of the agenda,” said IFA President, Padraig Walshe.

The hit on Ireland would be at least €2 billion n per year with the loss of our suckler cow herd and thousands of jobs in the meat industry and on the supply side.

“On lamb under the Mandelson’s proposal, sheep farmers face a mas- sive increase in imports with Aus- tralia adding thousands of tones to even greater New Zealand volumes.

“The main dairy products – butter, skimmed milk powder and cheddar cheese – face tariff cuts of up to 70 per cent which would undermine the EU market and damage Irish milk

prices.

“It would be unrealistic to expect the farming community and rural people to vote for the Lisbon Treaty while Mandelson is planning the de- struction of the Irish and European family farm structure.”

An indication of the seriousness of the situation is that the IFA President has also invited County Vice Chair- man and Secretaries to the meeting, who together with County Chair- men will form action teams for each county.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Clare IFA President, Michael Lynch, said that the local beef industry now hangs in the balance.

“The WTO could have serious con- sequences for Irish agriculture,” he

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“The last round of the WTO result- ed in the termination of the Irish sug- arbeet industry. It is the intentions of EU trade negotiator Peter Mandleson to offer tariff cuts to encourage cheap food to Europe from South America and other sub-standard countries in lieu off commercial banking and other commodity industries.

‘European agriculture is being sac- rificed at the negotiation table in Ge- neva, stated the County Chairman.”

A DISPUTE between a solicitor and his former client over fees for circuit court proceedings were aired in the district court last week.

Solicitor John Rynne, of Abbey Street, Ennis, took the case at Ennis District Court (civil) against Denise Dalton, arising out of previous cir- cuit court proceedings, in which he represented her.

Mr Rynne claimed that Ms Dalton owed him €5,743.50, but she claimed that was ‘excessive’ and that they had agreed orally on a €4,200 fee.

Last week’s case arose from a cir- cuit court matter last year. In that case, Denise Dalton (45), of Sonas,

Shanaway Road, Ennis, took a case against an Ennis hair salon, arising out of a perm that went wrong, on May 26, 2003.

She said she suffered itching to her scalp, on the night of the visit to the ar Demnr-D(0)0F

The following day, her hair started to fall out and she noticed a smell coming from her scalp. That case was settled in the circuit court in February 2007.

Ms Dalton’s barrister told Ennis District Court last Thursday that his chent was “taking substantial issue with the figure’ Mr Rynne claimed he was owed.

He said that the fee of €4,200 had been agreed, on February 1, 2007

and his client was willing to pay that amount.

“You said you would charge no more than three times what the bar- rister would cost. His costs were €1,050, so the total came to €4,020,” said the barrister. Mr Rynne denied Wen ke

Ms Dalton, who is currently a trainee barrister, told the court that Mr Rynne told her the fees would not exceed €5,000, in a conversation on February 1, 2007.

“The bill was excessive. It was in breach of our oral agreement,” she SrHTOR

Mr Rynne told the court that Ms Dalton “got as good a settlement as she could have got on the day, which

we still stand over. I did a job for her and I’m entitled to my costs for it.

“She’s perhaps confused, given the stress of the day (in the circuit court). I still remain unpaid, as is the bar- rister in the case,” he added.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said, “I am satisfied an oral agreement did come into existence between the plaintiff and defendant, to the effect the plain- tiff would receive three times that of a barrister’s fee, or a maximum of €5,000. I’m satisfied that agreement formed a binding legal contract be- tween the plaintiff and defendant,” he said.

He awarded a decree of €4,200 to Mr Rynne, but awarded costs to Ms Dalton.

THE North Clare Farm Family Sup- port Service are inviting all Clare farmers to an information evening to discuss one of the most contentious and confusing issued currently faced eM Denture

Eligibility for the Contributory State Pension is an issue which ef- fects thousands of farmer in every corner of the county with the eligibil- ity of farm spouses a real hot potato.

The information evening, which 1s being organised in association with IFA Skillnets and the IFAC, is open to all Clare farmers and takes place in the Woodstock Hotel in Ennis this

evening, Tuesday, March 4.

Four expert speakers will be in En- nis for the evening, each of which will explore a different aspect of the application process for the contribu- tory state pension.

Pat Coen from the Department of Social and Family Affairs will give an overview of how to apply for the contributory state pension.

The Revenue Commission’s Kitty Maloney will examine how farmers are effected by PRSI and income tax. John Duane from IFAC will also be present and will explain the differ- ent situation that farmers could find themselves in regarding the eligibil- ity for the state pension.

Finally, Mary Shelly, IFA Farm Family Committee Chairperson, will give an update on the eligibility of farmers spouses for the pension.

“In the past a lot of farmers, maybe through lack of information, would not have understood the importance of maintaining their PRSI contribu- tions, and a lot of them would have been disqualified because of this,” said Gerry McDonagh of the North Clare Farm Family Support Service.

“Getting on top of this is something that could benefit a lot of farmers. Farmers need to make sure that once they reach the age of 56 that they must be making PRSI contributions.

“But it 1s a complex situation for

farmers, some of who might have worked off the farm for a time. Basi- cally any farmers who want to secure a state pension for themselves should try and attend on the night. It’s a very complex area.”

The cost of entering the event is €20 per farming family. However admission is free for all IFA mem- bers or present and future clients of the Farm Family Support Service. Complimentary tea and sandwiches will also be provided for all who at- tend. For more information, please contact Gerry McDonagh, Rural Development Officer North Clare Farm Family Support Service at 065 7072467 or 086 8544036.

BRAZILIAN beef is back on the table, literally, after the EU bottled it’s month long ban on beef imports from the South American country.

The farming organisations have been up in arms about the decision to recommence importing cattle from Brazil, with Clare farmer and ICSA General secretary, Eddie Punch, de- scribing the decision as stunning and ObTSeabrianetee

“ICSA has always maintained that nothing short of a full ban would ever be acceptable, and we have proven that the Brazilians cannot be trusted. It is inconceivable that the Brazilians should be taken at their word, without FVO inspections, giv- en their history of unreliability,” said the Cratloe man.

The ICSA, in one of a number of farm organisations, who have lodged complaint with the EU ombudsman, questioning the EU commission’s duty of care towards EU consumers.

Another is the ICMSA, whose pres- ident, Jackie Cahill, has condemned the decision by the EU Commission to permit the importation of beef from 106 Brazilian ranches to the European market.

“The news that the Commission has rolled-over in these circumstances is unfortunately as predictable as it 1s disappointing,” he said.

Meanwhile, the IFA are attempting to put a positive gloss on the situa-

tion, with President Padraig Walshe saying that saying that the decision to place the 106 Brazilian farms on a list for export to the EU will have no impact on Irish cattle prices as the volume will be no more than 2,000 tonnes.

According to the farming leader, the volume is negligible and less than | per cent of the 330,000 tonnes of beef imported from Brazil in 2006 and 2007.

“Nothing has changed in Brazil — the deficiencies still exist and their standards do not meet EU require- ments,” he said.

‘The Commission decision makes a mockery of European food trace- ability standards, with stringent regulations for European farmers and non-compliance for Brazilians. It is incredible in the light of the ad- mission by the Brazilian Agriculture Minister Reinhold Stephanes that untraceable beef had been exported by Brazil.”

IFA Livestock Chairman Michael Doran said that prior to the IFA cam- paign Brazil was exporting beef from between 10,000 and 15,000 farms to Europe, which failed to meet EU standards. “Initially, Brazil had at- tempted to have 2,800 farms cleared for export, but this was rejected by the EU because they failed to meet the necessary standards. After sev- eral rejections by the EU, Brazil reduced the list down to 106 farms involving 86,000 cattle,” he said.

ENNIS residents with low immune systems have been warned to boil the water as three young children from the town were diagnosed with Crypt- osporidiosis late last week.

One of the three, who are all under five years old, was taken to hospital suffering from what has been de- scribed by the Health Service Execu- tive as a serious disease.

The HSE issued a statement say- ing that whilst no link has been es- tablished between the illness and the local water supply, caution is being ANGMAR oLe B

No other explanation for the cause of the illness had been offered at

time of print last evening.

The health service has contacted GPs and other health service provid- ers to make them aware of the need to investigate symptoms of gastro- enteritis and to report any suspected cases of the illness. Creches in the area are also being advised about the need for vigilance.

There are between 60 and 70 cases of Cryptosporidiosis confirmed in the mid west area every year, which includes Clare, Limerick and Tipper- ary.

The vast majority of cases occur in springtime and early summer. It can also be associated with outbreaks of PO KOLS ICSU LBL

Cryptosporidium are tiny parasites

that are mainly found in the faeces of infected animals or humans. Hu- mans are infected when they ingest contaminated food or water, or touch contaminated objects and then touch their mouth before washing their Ja DaLeKAN od 0B

In a special leaflet issued by the HSE west warning people of the ill- ness, it outlined the unpleasant symp- toms as diarrhoea, tummy pains and headaches.

The most common way is for the Cryptosporidium cysts to be passed from one person to another by direct contact. This is more likely if the source person has diarrhoea.

Thorough hand washing and dry- ing are the most important factors in

preventing this spread. Towels must not be shared.

Farm visits, or animals brought into school classrooms, may be a source of infection for children. Thorough hand washing reduces this risk.

Water in streams and lakes close to where animals graze maybe contam- inated with Cryptosporidium cysts.

“Very rarely contamination of wa- ter supplies can lead to outbreaks of infection,’ the HSE said.

The incubation period – time be- tween being infected and becoming unwell – is about two weeks. The ill- ness may last for a couple of weeks.

In people with weakened immune system, Cryptosporidiosis can be a serious and long-lasting infection.

KILFENORA is_ slowly — starting to return to normal after the week that belonged to Fr Ted. Hundreds of revellers, most of them dressed as priests, nuns and cups of tea, de- scended on the village for the first Fr Ted Festival ever to take place in OE IKe

The week was packed with many events, including an informal ques- tions and answers session with the Fr Ted creators.

“T think that the questions and an- swers session with Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews was one of the real highlights for a lot of people, it was really good. It was great fun,

people shouted up questions from the audience and they answered them. There was a lot of chat about how the series was made and questions like that,” said event organiser Janet KE Merirreaee

“We have a little play before that, a drama group from Athenry put on a reduced Father Ted over 15 min- utes with little segments from loads of the episodes. Besides that the one thing that people really loved was the Cole

“The lovely girls competition was a great success as well. Everyone had a ereat laugh out of it. Katie Vaughan from Vaughan’s Pub in Kilfenora won the competition in the end but it was a close one. She was great craic

though. I saw her yesterday, days af- ter the competition, and she was still wearing her crown and her sash.”

The festival had a big economic im- pact on the area, bringing a host of tourist to north Clare in the normally quiet month of February.

“People were staying in town and as far away as Lisdoonvarna and Ennistymon. Local people had their houses rented out and all the local bed and breakfasts were full,’ con- tinued Janet.

“We are definitely looking at run- ning the event again next year. We have to look carefully at the possibil- ity of making it any bigger because the infrastructure just isn’t here for that. We just about coped with the

numbers that we had.

‘“Kilfenora is the place where most of the series was filmed but some was filmed in Ennistymon, so mov- ing part of it to Ennistymon next year is something that we would look at. But Kilfenora is the real spiritual home of it.”

Following the Kilfenora Festival, the second annual Aran Islands Ted- Fest took place over the weekend.

THE Strand Restaurant and Guest- house, Kilkee and Murphy Black’s Restaurant, Kilkee are the latest es- tablishments to be awarded Seafood Circle membership by Bord lascaigh Mhara (BIM).

Both restaurants also have a lit- tle more in common than achieving Seafood Circle membership. Johnny Redmond, owner and head chef at The Strand Restaurant and Guest- house, and Mary Murphy (nee Red- mond), owner and head chef of Mur- phy Black’s Restaurant are brother and sister.

“My sister and I are thrilled we’ve both achieved Seafood Circle mem- bership,’ said Johnny Redmond.

‘More and more diners are order- ing seafood from our menus.

“The Seafood Circle plaque out-

side our doors will assure new and existing customers that both estab- lishments have excellent seafood and provide quality service.”

The total number of Seafood Circle members in Clare is now eight.

These are Cullinans Seafood Res- taurant and Guesthouse, Doolin; Morrissey’s Seafood Bar and Grill, Doonbeg; René Cusack, Ennis; Bar- rtra Seafood Restaurant, Lahinch; Vaughans Anchor Inn, Liscannor; and Burren Smokehouse, Lisdoon- Weve Ite

The BIM Seafood Circle recognis- es and awards hospitality and retail businesses that consistently deliver the highest standards of seafood and Service.

During February and March 2008, 132 Irish restaurants, pubs and sea- food retailers will be awarded BIM Seafood Circle Membership.