Farmers unite in protest across EU
FARMERS in Ireland yesterday joined with their European counterparts in another day of protest at what they say is overly burdensome regulation of the industry.
While violent scenes erupted on the streets of Brussels, over 100 farmers in tractors travelled to Cork Airport yesterday as part of their nationwide ‘Enough is Enough’ series of protests.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) said it wanted to highlight the growth of air travel at a time when farmers are being warned to cut their emissions output. John Murphy, chair of the environmental committee of the IFA, said that farmers were being treated unfairly.
‘Farmers feel that the country is rocking on,’ he explained. ‘It is booming with loads of jobs. We are the only sector that is actually asked to take a cut in our output and to take a cut in our living standards and our ability to make a living.
Some traffic disruption occurred as a
Sprayed riot police with manure
result of the protest yesterday as about 60 tractors took to the roads.
Meanwhile, farmers in Brussels engaged in far more chaotic demonstrations at the EU Parliament buildings in the Belgian capital yesterday.
Around 900 or so blockaded the EU headquarters. Some smashed through the police blockades, with dramatic video showing officers forced to scatter from their defensive positions to avoid being run down.
Farmers also sprayed riot police with liquid manure, threw bottles and eggs, and set fire to piles of tyres in a show of force, demanding an end to the problems facing the agriculture sector in Brussels and the EU bloc.
Riot police returned fire with water cannons from behind concrete barriers and barbed wire set up to protect the EU headquarters, where the bloc’s agriculture ministers are set to gather today. Thousands of Spanish also took to the streets yesterday, as they protested in Madrid ahead of the key agriculture meeting in Brussels.
The EU Parliament will today vote on the controversial Nature Restoration Law, which will mandate that a certain amount of agricultural land is rewetted to help the environment.
Malcolm Noonan, the minister with responsibility for the legislation in Ireland, has said that the Government will continue to be ambitious in terms of nature restoration even if the legislation is rejected by the European Parliament.
Francie Gorman, IFA president, met with Leo Varadkar last week. Speaking afterwards, he said he made it clear to the Taoiseach that farmers were frustrated and angry with increased regulation, reduced supports and falling incomes.
A number of key issues were discussed at the meeting, including the cost of doing business, the need for immediate tillage supports, ash dieback, VAT refunds, the residential land tax and work permits.