Donegal Sinn Féin Councillor Liam Doherty joined MEP Matt Carthy in Brussels as part of a delegation of farmers from across Ireland who were seeking to secure an "all-Ireland" food labeling system.
The above picture shows Cllr Liam Doherty, Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy and Henry O'Donnell from Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association at the Hemicycle of the European Parliament.
The Irish delegation travelled to Europe to discuss the implications to Ireland's agriculture industry resulting from EU country-of-origin labeling requirements.
Speaking after the visit, Matt Carthy noted that border counties such as Donegal were highlighted by the delegation.
"This visit to Brussels was an important part of our campaign to secure an all-Ireland food label as part of our wider demands that farmers secure a fair price for their produce," said Mr Carthy. "The first round of engagements last week was with senior representatives from the Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety and Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
"During this session issues such as the fact that certain parts of EU legislation create incentives for producers to process meat in order to get around labeling requirements were raised.
"The special case of Ireland, particularly border counties such as Donegal was also emphasised and it was highlighted by the delegation that a lot of farmers are losing out due to the fact that produce born and reared on one part of Ireland and finished in another is being labelled as "mixed-origin" while the second session entailed presentations from BEUC (European Consumer Organisation), Copa-Cogeca (European Agricultural representation), the Agriculture Policy Officer from the Northern Executive Office and the Irish government's Permanent Representation in Brussels."
Mr Carthy noted that the trip to Brussels was productive, with representatives from Sinn Féin, the Irish Farmers Association, Irish Sheep and Cattle Association, Ulster Farmers Union, Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, Farmers for Action and NIAPSA taking full advantage of the opportunity to ensure that the concerns of the Irish agricultural industry were brought to the attention of policy makers in Europe.
"Ireland should be treated as a special case in Europe because of our constitutional set up," said Mr Carthy. "Our country is too small to have farmers from different parts of the island competing against each other on price. I am confident that last week’s delegation will help mark a turning point in the campaign to ensure we achieve a fair labelling system."
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Donegal Now editorial team. During office hours call 074 9112700. You can also email news@donegalnow.com at any time, or send a text to 086 792 2103.