Our Michele gets to blow the whistle

getting a loan, you just thought about the pillar banks… That mindset has been changing now in the general public when you see the mortgages, but also with Cultivate."

The Cultivate network is operated by Collaborative Finance Company Limited by Guarantee.

The directors of Collaborative Finance CLG are employed by credit unions, who are members of the company. These member credit unions pay joining fees, annual membership fees and advertising contributions.

There are concerns the current lending limits set by the Central Bank, which restrict credit unions to offering less than 3pc of mortgage loans and less than 10pc of the small business (SME) loan market, will hinder the expansion of Cultivate going forward.

IFA Farm Business Executive Karol Kissane told the Farming Independent that he feels the Central Bank needs to look at the possibility of offering credit unions more freedom within the loan market.

"There is a huge deposit base in the credit unions — there's about €17-€18bn at the moment, so they do have the capabilities for a lot of lending,” he said.

"Farmers love quick, simple, local, flexible and personable, and the credit unions have the advantage of having all of those.”

"There is the possibility that credit unions could fill a lot of that hole that has been left by KBC and Ulster Bank leaving the market.”

Ireland's Michelle O'Neill has been named as an assistant referee for the Women’s Champions League nal next month. e Wexford woman will run the line during Barcelona’s clash with Wolfsburg in Eindhoven on June 3, with

Wales’ Cheryl Foster given the whistle for this season’s European showpiece. O’Neill has already been included on the list of assistant match o cials for this summer’s World Cup, and has previously o ciated involved in the carbon sequestration debate, as demonstrated by his role as the lead author in the Parliament's Industry and Energy Committee for the Sustainable Carbon Cycles report, which was voted on during the April Plenary session in Strasbourg.

Additionally, he will contribute to the Net Zero Industry Act, which sets a goal for the EU to domestically produce at least 40% of the technology necessary to achieve its climate and energy targets by 2030. is act aims to expedite permitting processes and improve access to nancing for clean technologies. Mr Kelly emphasises the importance of these sectors in meeting the EU's ambitious target of climate neutrality by 2050. e fourth o cial for Barca-Wolfsburg will be Rebecca Welch, also from England. e Women’s Champions League nal will be broadcast live on the RTÉ News channel.

Women’s Champions.

Franca Overtoom of the Netherlands has been named as the assistant opposite O’Neill for next month’s European showpiece, with England’s Anne Aspinall in reserve.