Farmers need politicians who can see the bigger picture on climate debate
The parties’ lack of vision on agriculture issues has not served rural areas well in the general election campaign
Considering the farming community vote is regarded as being capable of swinging 20 seats in a Dáil, agriculture has barely featured in this general election campaign.
Farming is not unique in this regard. Jobs in tech, manufacturing and services or public sector reform have barely got a look-in either.
The leaders recently all trooped out to Bluebell to make their pitch but the messages were very much aimed at the target audience.
An appetite for change and the catch-all housing and health crises have been the dominant forces in the campaign.
The agri-food sector was described as the backbone of the economic recovery.
During the tough times it was hailed; now it is being taken for granted.
On the canvass, campaigners say the beef price crisis continues to come up as the main farming community issue, but only it seems in areas where farmers are affected — in other words, non-dairy.
Agriculture is featuring primarily through the prism of climate change, where the debate is becoming unnecessarily and inaccurately polarised as farmer versus environmentalist.
Farming can lead the way on climate change; instead it is being scapegoated.
Whether farmers like it or not, there is a perception that emissions from agriculture are a major contributor to emissions.
The debate on agriculture and climate change needs to become more sophisticated than the current blame game. It’s still a fledgling discussion that the farming community can influence heavily.
The suspicion towards the Green Party remains in the farmyard.
The party’s argument about switching farming systems is overly simplistic, as it depends on a range of factor and there is no ‘one-shoe-fitsall’ policy.
Within the
Greens, there is significant doubt expressed about whether the party’s rural affairs agenda is developed enough.
Down the line, if the Greens got its policies right, there is actually a market there.
Show suckler or sheep farmers how to make money from the land and they will evolve.
The link between climate change
Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin addressed the IFA agm in the Farm Centre, Dublin last week
Fine Gael candidate in Tipperary Mary Newman helped deliver a calf while out canvassing last week. and agriculture shouldn’t be ignored, — rather it should be embraced, with solutions and incentives provided.
The abolition of quotas has resulted in a greater degree of intensification in dairy without an accompanying way of mitigating against the pressure on the land.
At a larger level, the smart farmers will be looking at the CAP and ensuring the cuts are limited without onerous conditions attached.
Brexit means the overall EU budget will go down significantly, by around 10pc.
Where EU agriculture policy goes as a result is an open question.
What’s unusual about this general election is that social policies dominate. But the worries about the health service and the lack of supply of housing and costs of rent are as much an issue in Blanchardstown as in Borrisoleigh.
The growing pains of a country struggling to keep up with the rising population is causing a shortage of school places which is cropping up all over the country, an issue in Swords but also in Mullinavat.
The inability to get to grips with insurance premiums on business, house and health and compo culture is hitting rural areas hard.
The pension age is also coming up in