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THE steady progress being
made by former First Minis-
ter Ian Paisley is an answer
to prayer, his son said yes-
terday.
North Antrim MP Ian
Paisley Jnr last night told the
News Letter that his father is
making a good recovery.
Last week Lord Bannside
was moved out of intensive
care at the Ulster Hospital in
Dundonald where he is being
treated for heart problems.
Progress
for Paisley
Catholics need not
fear being unionist
A LEADING Irish Catholic
commentator has said that
Catholics should be as
comfortable being unionist as
being nationalist.
Michael Kelly, deputy editor
of the all-island newspaper
The Irish Catholic, said that he
supported the brave views
of Fr Eugene ONeill, who in a
News Letter interview published
yesterday said that Catholics
should question whether a united
Ireland would give them more
religious freedom.
Fr ONeill said that the
Republic of Ireland has become
a cold house for Catholicism at
a time when the Queen and the
British Government are publicly
endorsing the role of churches,
and that no priest under the
age of 45 cares about a united
Ireland.
Mr Kelly, who grew up in
Northern Ireland and now
lives in the Republic, told the
News Letter that he believed Fr
By Sam mcBride
Political Correspondent
sam.mcbride@newsletter.co.uk
See pages 4 & 5
PiCTUre: Parkway
Photography
When Churchill
said the wrong
thing P20
Final menu on
the Titanic
revealed P3
The pride of Northern Ireland
Price: 75p (ir 1.05 eUrO) Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Bushfoot Golf Club
member Owen Crooks,
who also plays on the irish
under-14 team, watches
on as environment
minister alex attwood
puts his golfng skills to
the test on the site of the
proposed new 100m
resort on the north coast.
after granting planning
permission for the 18-
hole championship links
course and fve-star hotel
complex, the minister
insisted that the world
heritage designation
of the nearby Giants
Causeway would not be
endangered
minister
tees off on
north coast
THE First Minister has
intervened in a row about
using public funds to
renovate an IRA memorial in
Crossmaglen.
It would be totally
unacceptable for public
funds to go to the memorial,
Peter Robinson said yesterday
adding that he has asked
offcials to investigate and
report urgently.
Agriculture Minister
Michelle ONeill said that she
had no problem with an appli-
cation for the funding.
robinson in
statue row
Since 1737
www.newsletter.co.uk



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See page 9
See page 7
See page 8
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028 6634 0774
Calls for milk sector
production controls
FARMERS for Action (FFA) is calling for the introduction of fexible supply controls with the EUs dairy sector post the ending of milk quotas in 2015. A free market in milk is the last thing we need as it will only exacerbate the boom and bust cycles which are becoming all too familiar within the international agri sector at the present time, continued FFAs William Taylor. We already know that dairy farmers in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and the Republic of Ireland are gearing up to dramatically increase their milk output over the coming years. But the reality is that it only takes a small increase in production, above and beyond market needs, to have a dramatic effect on producer returns. The
general rule within the dairy sector is that a 2% oversupply scenario will lead to a halving in farmgate prices while a 2% defcit will lead to a doubling in producer returns. FFA will be detailing its plans for the milk industry and the other sectors of agriculture in more detail over the coming weeks and months. However, we frmly believe that the introduction of fexible supply controls is a genuine runner within the EUs dairy sector. William Taylor made his comments in the wake of the recent decision by the European Parliament to enable farmers organisations to negotiate raw milk prices on their behalf without falling foul of competition law. This legislation will strengthen the bargaining power of dairy farmers. Producer organisations should help farmers to organise themselves better and strengthen their position in the supply chain, especially in Member States
where a system of co-operatives is limited or even non-existent, so that they can achieve the best possible price for their milk, said the Parliaments rapporteur and local MEP Jim Nicholson. Signifcantly, the new regulation, was agreed on the basis of co- decision, which involved an input from the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the relevant government Ministers from all 27 EU member states. This same approach will be taken when it comes to ratifying the next CAP reform deal. Discussions on this crucial issue are due to be fnalised in about twelve months time. Under the new dairy regulations, which will be formally enacted by the EU Council in June, the volume of raw milk covered by negotiations between producers organisation and processors or collectors may not exceed 3.5% of total EU output. Nor may it exceed either 33% of overall national
production or 45% in states where total production is below 500,000 tonnes. Member States may continue to decide whether or not to impose contracts covering milk delivery from farmers to collectors or processors for their territory. If made compulsory, these contracts will have to be drawn up before delivery and must state the price, payments periods and arrangements for collecting and delivering the milk. Member States may also stipulate a minimum duration for these contracts of at least six months and MEPs strongly recommend that they do so. Commenting specifcally on the details of the new EU dairy agreement William Taylor pointed out that the stipulation allowing 33% of milk producers to come together to sell their milk had signifcant merit.
By RichaRd halleRon
all the latest
equestrian news
PaGeS 9-14
Pictures and reports
from the yFc
PaGeS 15-18
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
a delighted adrian Richardson, Maguiresbridge, scooped the reserve supreme Simmental championship at the Perth Bull Sales on Monday.
longbeach Bosco sold for 10,000gns. See Saturdays Farming life for full report and photographs from Stirling.
PictuRe: julie hazelton
Are your hens
not luyng ?
ClussIeds Kmul lneuge to clussIed@IurmnglIe.com
Sell them n
iNSide
ONeills views are increasingly
shared by the Irish Catholic
hierarchy.
Mr Kelly said that he would like
to see an end to the traditional
position where Catholics feel
that they should have nationalist
views and Protestants feel that
they should support unionist
political parties.