The Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland (FCI) recently elected John Sheehy as their new chairman in succession to Timmy O’Brien. John runs the family agricultural contracting business, Maurice J Sheehy Ltd, in Bruree, Co. Limerick.
FCI was established two years ago by a group of farm contractors, including John, Timmy (Cork), Peter Farrelly (Meath), Norman Eager (Dublin) and Christopher Weldon (Meath), and has gained considerable momentum since then with its membership currently standing at around 200. The Association, which held its first conference in Monastervin, Co. Kildare in November 2012, was formed to give agricultural contractors a voice at Government and EU level.
Its other objectives are to promote good contractor / farmer relationships; to promote the benefits of a good agricultural contracting service; to provide members with knowledge and courses to help them run their business; to promote a good working relationship between contractors.
In addition, FCI aims to provide a fair playing field for contractors north and south of the border regardless of their size. Owned and run by its members for its members, FCI aims to make local branches as active as possible and to facilitate group discussion and possible group action on issues that affect their businesses.
“I was elected chairman for a two-year term in May,” John explains.
“Timmy O’Brien did a great job during his term and I certainly have a tough act to follow. The FCI was formed out of a telephone conversation Timmy and Peter Farrelly had one day, and it has gone from strength to strength ever since.
“They felt the agri-contracting sector wasn’t been recognised and that there wasn’t enough being done by the existing association (PAC). We quickly discovered that a lot of the TDs, Ministers and people in power didn’t even know we existed as agricultural contractors. We thought we were being represented at Government level, but obviously were not.
“Now that FCI is raising the profile of agricultural contractors at Government and EU level, we would like all contractors to join us and help us to achieve betterment for agricultural contractors. We are striving to grow our membership and to make sure our voice is heard in Leinster House and beyond.”
FCI is the only legally registered contractor association that represents agricultural contractors in Ireland from the ground to the top level in governments. It is the only contractor representative body that knows what is happening in the fields and tractor cabs. This puts it in a strong position to talk at the highest level to government officials in Ireland and Europe.
The Association has made many contacts in Ireland and Europe and has been invited to join CEETAR, which is the European Association for all contractors where it will need significant representation in the coming years. The FCI is likely to have a major say in whether the Government’s Food Harvest 2020 Plan, which aims to increase the value of output in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector by 33 per cent by 2020, is achieved.
“The Food Harvest 2020 Plan won’t happen without the farm contractors being on board,” John stresses.
The FCI executive is made up of professional contractors who know the issues facing agricultural contracting family businesses. Among the issues the FCI have been working on are invoicing (where a farmer should have an invoice to match every payments he makes like in any other business), extending the contracting season and ensuring that carbon tax is rebated to registered contractors as non-registered contractors have the benefit already. According to EU legislation, there should be no carbon tax charge on agricultural work and the produce of food.
FCI has branches in Cork, Meath, Kilkenny, Wexford, Galway, Sligo, Offaly, Tipperary, Limerick, Kerry, Laois, Wicklow and Kildare, and plans to expand further.
“We are aiming to be a 32-county organisation. We’re still in our infancy and it’s going to take time to get ourselves fully established. Farm contractors are facing constant challenges, and we are determined to meet them head on.”
Membership of the FCI costs just €200 per year and those interested in joining should get in touch with John or any executive member. Meetings are held on a monthly or bi-monthly basis during the winter period, which typically is a quiet time of year for farm contractors. Members can avail of exclusive offers on products related to the industry by quoting their FCI membership number.
John Sheehy has been involved in the family business, Maurice J Sheehy Ltd, for the past 30 years. “I’ve been at it since I was able to drive a tractor,” the 44-year-old FCI chairman smiles.
“My father, Maurice, founded the business in 1973 and it became a limited company in 1988. We employ three full-time staff. My brother, Padraig, who runs the family farm, helps out at the busy times.”
Maurice J Sheehy Ltd provides a complete farm contracting service, including silage cutting slurry spreading, reseeding, excavation and land drainage works, and even plant hire. John operates a fleet of seven John Deere tractors and numerous other equipment such as silage cutters, silage wagons, loading shovels, slurry spreaders, ploughs, harrows and umbilical pipeline pumping systems.
Maurice J Sheehy Ltd
Colruss,
Bruree,
Co. Limerick.
Telephone: 063 90594
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 3, August 2014
