The Dolmen Hotel in Carlow will host the Fine Gael national agricultural, food and rural development forum on Thursday 22 June.

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon are to address the crowd in Carlow from 8pm and the main focus is on the future of farming.

The forum has already held a series of events, including two regional conferences over the past six months, and it has engaged with 2,500 people.

The third regional conference in Carlow offers a chance for farmers to lead the discussion and interact with Fine Gael on cutting-edge solutions, as well as the issues they confront, according to chair of the Fine Gael forum and former president of the IFA Eddie Downey.

Evolving

Downey said: “Rural Ireland is evolving and EU legislation, such as the nitrates, nature restoration and pesticide regulation directives, will impact significantly on farmers; they want clarity around how these will impact on their business.

“Capital acquisitions tax and agriculture reliefs also remain firmly on the farming agenda, but stock relief and stamp duty are also emerging as areas where changes could be made,” he said.