Fundamental Re-set Needed to Make Farming Work

IFA President Francie Gorman said the huge turnout of farmers across the country last night cannot be ignored by the Government and the EU Commission.

“The deep frustration among farmers manifested itself in thousands taking to the streets to send a strong message that issues cannot continue to be ignored,” he said.

Francie Gorman said there will have to be a fundamental re-set in the way that farm policy is designed and implemented.

“Time and again, we have seen a level of complexity introduced that does not take account of the practicalities of day-to-day farming. One example would be the failure to pay farmers who are doing excellent work for the environment through the ACRES scheme. It’s simply not good enough and shows a lack of understanding of how these schemes work and deliver for farmers,” he said.

The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged yesterday that red tape has to be cut. “This in itself is an admission that there is a problem, but the words have to be matched by actions,” he said.

“The CAP budget is completely insufficient. We need increased funding to support both food production and environmental ambition. The EU Commission has to engage directly with farmers on how this will be done,” he said.

“It is also time the European Commission and our own Government start to engage in proper consultation with farmers that takes on board their concerns rather than the top-down approach, as we saw with the farcical handling of the Nitrates derogation,” the President continued.  

IFA will be holding meetings in the coming weeks with the Minister for Agriculture and the Taoiseach.

“We will reflect the anger and frustration that exists among farmers. The onus is on the Minister to respond in a way that farmers can see a tangible change in the approach that brings some common sense to the way farm policy is devised,” he concluded.

See Gallery of the IFA Nationwide Solidarity Demonstrations: