TRACTORCADE RETREATS
... but Dublin’s commuters hit with big delays
FARMERS brought their 24-hour protest to a dramatic conclusion last night as their rush-hour exodus produced traffic chaos on some of the capital’s busiest commuter roads.
Many of the protesters had slept in their tractors on Wednesday night as they took part in the day-long demonstration in Dublin city centre.
After the planned demonstration blocked a number of roads close to Leinster House – including St Stephen’s Green, Kildare Street, Merrion Square and Molesworth Street – the ‘tractorcade’ campaign moved onto the city’s M50 and Port Tunnel, causing traffic jams and delays for commuters.
Protesters told the Irish Daily Mail they were frustrated with TDs who are ‘pretending to care’ now an election has been called.
Niall Connolly, 39, travelled down from Co. Monaghan to take part in the protest and slept overnight in his van.
‘Farming should be a big, key part of the election,’ he said. ‘If [TDs] want the rural Ireland vote, they’re going to have to get out and actually listen to rural Ireland and understand our problems.’
‘At the end of the day, all we want is to make a living. We’re not after making big, multi-million-pound profits; we just want a fair share on beef prices.
‘But the Government doesn’t care about us, they’re trampling us into the ground all the time,’ he added.
Tractors lined the streets around Merrion Square and St Stephen’s Green from Wednesday afternoon until yesterday morning. Despite heavy rain, there was a sense of defiance as they moved over to Dublin Port and the M50.
Delays were reported southbound on the M1/M50 interchange to Junction 4 Ballymun, where lanes were blocked during rush hour.
It was believed to be the final leg of the protest.
Paul Riley, 72, travelled down from Cavan and claimed his biggest concern was traceability on the production line.
‘The problem is with the factories: every animal that goes into a meat factory here comes out the other end and is labelled “quality Irish meat”,’ Mr Riley said.
‘But as far as I’m concerned, after that, all traceability is gone – there is no way for the consumer to properly trace back exactly where that meat came from.’
Also in the crowd was James Geoghegan, 50, from Westmeath, who estimated he had spent €1,500 in accommodation and travel costs for two of his workers and himself during the protest.
Mr Geoghegan said it will ‘all be worth it’ so long as he can halt the proposed carbon tax. Speaking to the Mail, he said: ‘Carbon tax is not a tax; it’s a pay cut, and why should we have to take a pay cut while the rest of the country is only getting pay rises?
‘Farming in rural Ireland is what this country was built on but it has been neglected. TDs are out looking for votes but they do not understand [our problems].’
The Mail previously revealed that the tax would add €1.18 to the cost of a full tank of diesel and some €15 to a tank of heating oil.
Paul Healey, 48, who slept overnight in his tractor, apologised to commuters affected by the action, saying the protest was aimed only at politicians. He said: ‘The politicians only need us now there’s an election – they don’t need us after, they’ll have forgotten us as soon as those votes are cast.’
The protest was organised by the Individual Farmers of Ireland. Similar demonstrations took place last November and December.