Following on from the recent launch of the new partnership between Macra na Feirme and IFAC Accountants to deliver more expertise and advice to Ireland’s young farmers. Macra and IFAC are pleased to announce the new IFAC Accountants page on the macra.ie website. As IFAC Accountants are Macra’s ‘partner for young farmers development groups in Ireland and Europe’ this new webpage will keep young farmers up to date on all European issues along with information on CEJA the European Council of Young Farmers, the papers CEJA issue and policy positions along with seminars CEJA organise which Macra attend. The year 2010 is a very critical year in terms of CAP Post 2013 negotiations and it’s is timely and important that young farmers can access information and updates on CAP from one source.

Macra na Feirme, national president, Michael Gowing said the partnership between IFAC Accountants and Macra is very beneficial for young farmers as it has facilitated Macra to update its young farmers on European agricultural affairs and also provide strategic and important information from accounting and tax matters.

Speaking on behalf of IFAC Accountants CEO Willie Fahey said IFAC Accountants is delighted to sponsor Macra in rejoining CEJA after a number of year’s absence. CEJA represents its members’ interests at community level with the aim of improving the situation of young farmers in member countries and within the EU. It also keeps its member organisations informed of Common Agricultural Policy developments and acts as a forum and meeting place for EU young farmers. Once again the value of the agriculture and food industry is being afforded its rightful importance in Ireland and keeping our young farmers up to date with what is happening in the EU and beyond will be of benefit to us all. I wish to compliment Macra on their development of this new webpage.

Macra na Feirme national president Michael Gowing said the new Agri Environment scheme, must be favourable towards new entrants and young farmers who were not previously involved in REPS, otherwise it will discriminate against new entrants.

‘Young farmers need to be a high priority in this new scheme and must be allowed access the scheme over the four years’, he said.

Also, Mr. Gowing said the scheme must deliver the maximum payment of €5,000 to farmers, otherwise the value of the scheme is totally undermined and the entire application process should not require any third party certification by Teagasc or an Agricultural Consultant as the amount of payment under the scheme would be quickly absorbed by administration fees.

Want to have your say but not old enough to vote?

Join NYCI to share ideas and learn new skills to progress the campaign on Saturday, April 10th 2010

At the meeting we will provide:

• Youth activism training

• The chance to ask a politician what works in lobbying issues

• The opportunity to create a video for use on social networking sites to spread the word!

This interactive and exciting meeting will take place at Temple Bar Hotel, Fleet Street, Dublin 2.

This event is FREE OF CHARGE and travel expenses on public transport will be reimbursed. Lunch is also provided.

To apply please complete an application form, a parental consent form (if under 18) and an image consent form (all are available on www.voteat16.ie) and post it to NYCI, 3 Montague Street, Dublin 2.

Deadline for applications is Monday, March 22nd 2010.

For further information contact Clodagh O’Brien at communications@nyci.ie or by phone at 01-478 4122.

Carrigaline Macra will celebrate its 50th Annual Dinner Dance this March. This is a particularly special event for the club and promises to be a great night. It will take place in the Rochestown Park Hotel, March 20th.

There will be a drinks reception commencing at 7.00pm with guests being treated to a five course meal starting at 7.30pm sharp. Music will be provided by Cork band The Zodiacs, followed by DJ Donal Crowley.

Tickets are selling fast so don’t hesitate to contact any of the committee members to purchase them. Contact Carmel (087) 7716892 or Ollie (086) 8974388.

Pictured are founding and current committee members at the launch of the 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance in the Rochestown Park Hotel.

Guidelines Available to Assist Employers

Up to one third of all road collisions involve drivers who are using their vehicle for work. This means that around 75 people die in work related road crashes in Ireland each year.

The figure was revealed on Monday 1st March at the start of a road safety campaign, from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which is designed to make employers aware of their responsibility to ensure the safety of their staff on the roads.

The campaign, which is being backed by a national radio advert, is asking employers to use the RSA’s and HSA’s ‘Driving for Work Guidelines’ to assist in implementing safe driving policies in the workplace.

The guidelines, published in CD Rom format are available free of charge and can be downloaded www.rsa.ie and www.hsa.ie

According to Noel Brett, CEO, Road Safety Authority, “The driving for work guidelines will assist employers manage their staff’s road safety. It provides an overview of legislation, how to carry out risk assessments and highlights the significant benefits for businesses and the wider community when work related road safety is managed effectively.”

“Managing staff safety, while driving for work, makes good business sense, especially in the current economic climate as it protects staff and business profits. For example, for every €1 claimed on insurance, arising from work related road incidents, companies may have to pay a further €8 to €36 for uninsured losses.” He said.

Guinness Storehouse Invites all Patricks in for Free to Celebrate ST. Patrick's Day

GUINNESS STOREHOUSE announced exciting details of its St. Patrick’s Day Festival celebrations. As well as a host of live music entertainment, food and a unique GUINNESS experience to enjoy, Ireland’s No. 1 visitor attraction is inviting all Patricks in free of charge. For one day, St. Patrick’s Day, GUINNESS STOREHOUSE will present anybody by the name Patrick or indeed any *variant of the name with a special complimentary pass, otherwise known as the “VIP Pass” (Very Important Patrick Pass) into the St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Storehouse where they will be treated to a day of festivities. All to celebrate 10 years since the Storehouse first opened its doors to the public! Patricks must present official photo ID, e.g. passport, driver’s license, National Identity Card, at the point of purchase to gain free admission.

On arrival to GUINNESS STOREHOUSE on St. Patrick’s Day, Patricks and all other visitors, will be greeted by fire jugglers and street performers, who will create a visual sensation to the backdrop of the stunning seven storey Storehouse building. Once inside, Arthur & Olivia Guinness characters will be on hand to welcome visitors as they begin their celebrations. “Rattle and Hum” will take centre stage on the day and perform some of Ireland’s favourite U2 tunes. Irish born guitarist Jimmy Smyth, who has recorded with top artists such as Van Morrison, Rob Strong and Bonnie Tyler, will also perform, as will Irish groups Sliotar and The Gravel Walk. DJs Peter Cosgrove and Peter McKenna will be in Gravity Bar, playing funky lounge tunes, to entertain those looking to take in the panoramic views of the city with a complimentary pint of Guinness in hand. And for something a little more traditional, there will be an interactive Céilí Mór taking place during the day.

In addition to the live music acts, visitors can also learn how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness like a true connoisseur and have the chance to take home a hand drawn caricature of themselves enjoying their perfect pint!

GUINNESS STOREHOUSE will serve complimentary Guinness brown bread with smoked salmon to all visitors as well as complimentary tastings of two GUINNESS variants – Foreign Extra Stout and Extra Stout. For those looking to sample a range of Guinness inspired recipes, there will be a selection of traditional and contemporary Irish recipes on offer in the Brewery Bar Restaurant. The ultimate St. Patrick’s Day experience at GUINNESS STOREHOUSE is free of charge to all Patrick’s* and for everyone else, standard admission rates apply. For full terms and conditions and details of St. Patrick’s Day at GUINNESS STOREHOUSE Festival log onto www.guinness-storehouse.com

The decision of the UK authorities to introduce a pension credits mechanism for carers should be immediately followed by a similar long overdue decision by the Irish government.

This was stated by Marian Harkin MEP when she warmly welcomed the UK government’s decision on Monday, March 1st.

She said: “I referred to the need for such a measure when I addressed the ‘Caring for Carers’ annual conference in Galway on Saturday last and I warmly welcome the decision which means that family carers in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK can now build up a state pension based on caring credits. We need to introduce a similar scheme here.

“Statistics show that women, in particular those who have care responsibilities, have a higher risk of poverty in old age than others. It is simply not acceptable that those who take the time to care, often on a full time basis with inadequate state support, would be more likely to experience poverty in old age than others.

“Figures from the 2006 Census show that if we put a price on the work of carers they would save the state in excess of 2.5 billion per year, yet carers have no entitlements to a state pension.

“The move by the U.K. Government is a very positive one whereby a new carers credit will be introduced to help parents and carers who have taken time out of their career to build up qualifying years while still meeting their caring responsibilities. The Irish Government should immediately look at the pension scheme in the U.K. and commit to introducing a similar scheme in Ireland without delay", Marian Harkin concluded.

“The shock of recession caused many Irish consumers to radically change their shopping patterns at the start of 2009,” explained Ms. Brophy. “According to Nielsen, the Republic of Ireland’s decline in spend on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) during 2009 was one of the most severe recorded in Europe.”

The consumer focus shifted to value – such as larger pack formats or extra filled promotional packs. Growth of private label (PL) overall was a trend in the food/grocery sector in 2009, with total private label share within multiples reaching 19% by the end of the year. In the dairy retail market, private label grew in volume in multiples from 24.9% to 27.5%.

The double digit growth experienced by the multiples in Northern Ireland came at the expense of the 8% decline experienced by the supermarket chains in the Republic of Ireland.

In the Republic of Ireland, the discounters (Aldi/Lidl) were the clear winners in the battle for market share in 2009, with their retail grocery market share growing from 9.6% to 11.8% by the end of 2009. The symbol or franchise groups and forecourts experienced a decline from 28.2% to 25% last year whilst the multiples, who started the year at 62.2% share, fought hard to grow this to 63.3% by the end of 2009.

“The ‘flight to value’ by consumer did rebalance as the year progressed and we believe consumers have largely adjusted their shopping patterns at this stage. The small increase in consumer confidence in the second half of 2009 gives us a glimmer of optimism,” said Helen Brophy. “It is clear that the bottom line is not always price. Consumers here are actively looking to buy local and environmentally friendly products, with 25% willing to pay more for them and trends increasing as 2009 progressed.”

In 2010 the NDC intends to continue to drive and stimulate the consumption of milk and dairy products in the Republic of Ireland. The year will also form the mid-way point of its strategic action plan, with a palpable sense of momentum gathering. “We certainly hope that 2010 will see a recovery of confidence leading to a brighter outlook for the entire industry,” concluded Helen Brophy

The Essex County 4-H Art Club in Canada are currently hosting their second meeting. This year's Art Club theme is "Postcards". It is their hope that they can collect a postcard from every 4-H club around the world. In order to do this they need your help. Are you able to help their club reach their goal?

They would love to hear from you and see where you are or where you have been. Postcards can be sent to... 4-H Art Club 19 Baird Avenue Leamington, Ontario N8H 3K5 Canada

Laois YFDG Meeting with IFAC Accountants

The Laois YFDG meeting with IFAC Accountants will take place in the Manor Hotel, Abbeyleix on Wednesday 3rd March, at 8pm. The topic to be covered includes Managing your finances & Taxation. For further information contact Pat Hennessy on 087-2445627.

National Talent Closing Date Extended The Organising Committee of the National Talent competition have announced that entries will be accepted up to the extended closing date of Friday 5th March from counties which have not yet submitted an entry or certain counties which have entries in only one or two events. The counties concerned are Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Waterford and Westmeath. For further information contact Talent Competition Chairman Richard Harrahill (046-9025023; 087-2367941; richardharrahill@eircom.net)

Tullow Macra Table Quiz

Tullow Macra are holding a table quiz in the Tara Arms Tullow on Friday 5th of March at 9pm. A table of four costs €20 and all proceeds are going towards club development. Their will be a raffle on the night with some great prizes. All support would be greatly appreciated.

Ardcath Macra Variety Night in Aid of Special Olympics

Ardcath Macra proudly presents a night of variety entertainment in aid of the Special Olympics on Friday the 5th of March in Skryne Hall. Tickets are €10 and are on sale now. For further information contact damiengovern@gmail.com

Limerick City Macra Table Quiz

Limerick City Macra are hosting their first ever fundraiser, a Table Quiz, this Friday night in Mungret/St Pauls GAA Hall on Friday 5th March at 8:30pm. All support would be greatly appreciated.

Carrigaline Macra Hits the Airwaves on C103fm

Carrigaline Macra na Feirme will go on the airwaves next Sunday, March 7th to celebrate 50 years as an active club in County Cork. The club was founded on March 17th 1960 and has gone from strength to strength throughout the years. The programme will give listeners an opportunity to listen to past and present members chat and talk about their fun times in Macra. The show will be broadcast on Corks C103fm with popular broadcaster Bob Jennings. Listeners can tune in to ‘Scoraiocht’ Sunday 7th at 7.00pm.

Next Meeting of Moate Macra

The next club meeting of Moate Macra will take place on Monday 8th March in The Grand Hotel, Moate at 8:30pm. For more information contact Brigid on 086-0822038.

IFAC and Clare & Limerick YFGD Seminar

Clare and Limerick Young Farmers in the Woodland House Hotel Adare Co. Limerick at 8.30pm on Wednesday 10th March 2010 Contact: Anna Holland Tel: 087-7822135

Closing Dates

The closing dates for NDC Basketball and Drama is March 10th. For further information contact Terry Cooke in the Macra National Office on 01-426 8913

Offaly YFDG Meeting with IFAC Accountants

The Offaly Young Farmer Development Group meeting with IFAC Accountants will take place on Wedneday 10th March at 8:30pm in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore.

Kildare Macra New Members Night

Kildare Macra New Members Night 12th March at 8pm in The Cross Keys pub, Kildangan, Co.Kildare (on the R417 road). With DJ Jer Harrison and fingerfood. Entry €5 and special offer for new members joining on the night. All welcome. For further information contact Jacq on 087-7735659.