Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

Countryside Alliance Ireland was delighted to attend the launch of Consumer Focus Post in Stormont at the end of January.  Consumer Focus Post is the new consumer champion working in Northern Ireland for a fair deal for all postal consumers. Consumer Focus Post is a statutory body created by the Consumers Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007. 

This legislation also established significant improvements to the postal customer complaints processes including a single point of contact for consumer advice on service providers to improve their performance. The vision of Consumer Focus Post is simple “campaigning for a fair deal for the postal consumer”.  They want to see consumers at the heart of postal operators and Government decision making. 

All too often, postal consumers still receive an inadequate service or are not receiving value for money and the most vulnerable are sometimes the ones who are treated worst or pay the most.Countryside Alliance Ireland continues to work with a coalition of high profile organisations to ensure the future of a sustainable Post Office network continues to deliver a valued service to our rural communities and we will continue to lobby Government in order to achieve this.

The Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 is now open for business. The Programme aims to protect and enhance our rural environment and contribute to the development of competitive and sustainable rural businesses and thriving rural communities. Consisting of a wide range of funding schemes the RDP also provides opportunities for advice, mentoring and training for farmers, farm families, rural dwellers and community groups.

The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 is part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.If you would like further information on what support is available, details of who can apply, how to apply and when to apply, please visit www.rdpni.info email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone: 0845 30 44 509 to request a free information pack.

Casting for Recovery UK & Ireland has revealed its 2009 retreat schedule* and will be providing fly fishing retreats for women who have, or have had, breast cancer across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The Northern Ireland Forest Service wish to inform our members that Forest Service areas for letting will be advertised in the Belfast Telegraph, The Irish News and The News Letter weeks commencing the 19^th and 26^th January 2009.Further information can also be found on 

The Forest Service website at www.forestserviceni.gov.uk

Dear Member

Thank you for voting in the Kilkenny People poll on huntingWith over seventeen thousand votes cast, hunting won by a margin of 55% to 44%This was despite an e mail campaign by ICABS.  ARAN and other anti groups imploring their members to vote against

The poll was by far the largest ever recorded by the Kilkenny People 

Again well done

Countryside Alliance Ireland welcomes the publication of the New Rural Planning Policy by the Department of the Environment. The new Draft PPS21 replaces the ill conceived and controversial PPS14 which we campaigned against because it stifled our rural economies and severely restricted our rural population’s opportunities to live and work in rural Northern Ireland. We believe that PPS21will boost the rural economy and is indeed a step towards a fair and workable policy for our countryside.