Farmers get overwhelming support for their protest outside Sligo County Council meeting
MEMBERS of Sligo County council endorsed an emergency motion at their monthly meeting on Monday last in support of farmers local and national who had organised various protests, including one outside Sligo County Council’s monthly meeting, in an attempt to highlight the difficulties farmers are experiencing with increased costs to farm and multiple new regulations which have to be adhered.
Cllr Thomas Walsh sought the suspension of Standing Orders to allow a motion in support of the IFA’s ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign which he tabled to be discussed. This was agreed to by fellow councillors who in some cases spoke at length about the plight of Irish farmers and offered them their support.
A representative group from the protesting IFA members were invited into the Council chamber where they heard Cllr Walsh and colleagues offer their support to them.
The motion passed stated: “Sligo County Council recognises the significant contribution that farming, and the agri-sector makes to the Irish and local economy.”
It also stated that the Council should acknowledge the income challenge for all farmers arising from the significant increases in the cost of doing business.”
The motion also called on the Government to introduce no further regulations on farmers or measures that may increase costs on farms without full negotiation and agreement with the IFA.
Finally, the motion also called on the Government and the European Union to provide additional stand-alone funding, separate to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support farmers and allow them to undertake climate and biodiversity measures.
Supporting the IFA, Cllr Walsh said he wished to “fully move the motion” and show support for farmers who were protesting outside Monday’s meeting.
Cllr Martin Connolly, supporting the motion tabled by Cllr Walsh and a second similar motion tabled by Cllr Thomas Healy, said as a farmer he fully understood the frustration of farmers with regulation and paperwork.
“Farmers want to work the farm, they don’t want to be sitting behind a desk filling out paperwork, and that’s where we are heading,” he said.
Cllr Thomas Healy, proposing his motion, said farms in any area were very important and they need to ensure that the next generation see a future in farming.
Cllr Arthur Gibbons said he didn’t come from a farming background, but he realised how important farmers are.
Cllr Joe Queenan, a long-time member of the IFA, said he supported their policies. He said the mindset of people in Dublin was “completely different” to people in rural Ireland. He slammed the influence the Green Party has on Government policy formation. “They have far too much say for the number of elected TDs they have, they control the policy. I am disappointed how Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are so lax in allowing Mr Ryan and his colleagues to bulldoze their policies through, policies which are detrimental to our country.”
Cllr Tom Fox said he was a staunch supporter of the farming community who came from a farming background himself. He said more payments should be released more swiftly to assist farmers. Costs, he said, were “skyrocketing and it is having a detrimental effect on our communities”.
Cllr Sinead Maguire said farming is the lifeblood of the country, not just the rural community. “I believe it is a case of ‘we won’t miss it until the Well runs dry’.
Cllr Dara Mulvey said while he didn’t come from a farming background himself, he was aware of the daily struggles’ farmers were facing. He said farmers were being “tied up” by bureaucracy.
“Farmers don’t want to be regulated out of existence,” he said.
Cllr Martin Baker said the biggest problem farmers have is the extra paperwork and the way farmers are being paid for schemes in “dribs and drabs” adding that he had come to the conclusion that there was “nearly a conspiracy” to try and get people off the land.
Cllr Michael Clarke, a farmer, said: “When we joined the EEC a farmer would have to sell 60 fattened lambs to buy a tractor, today they would have to sell 600 lambs to buy a new tractor, that is what has happened through joining Europe, farmers have been badly treated down through the years. Governments should remember we are only one season away from food shortages and two seasons away from famine.”
He said the treatment of Irish farmers and Irish fisheries by the EEC has been “disgraceful” , he added. He said farmers were custodians of the land and had done an exceptional job.
Cllr Paul Taylor, agreeing with the comments made by his colleagues, said the contribution of farmers was vital to all of those around the Council chamber. He said farmers were always putting money back into the local economy - “an awful lot of what is going on in our local economy is as a result of what farmers are doing”.
Cllr Donal Gilroy said farmers should be proud of what they and their ancestors had done in terms of being custodians of the land - “it is only right that you should be protected and supported”.
Cllr Marie Casserly said regulations being faced by farmers were “crippling”.
Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady said 13 of the 18 councillors were involved in farming. She said her parents, who were farmers, had often said ‘when the farmer and the builder aren’t happy, the country is in trouble’.
Cllr Tom MacSharry said regulation in Europe had “lost the run of itself”. He added that even in his own profession (legal), there were now regulations being introduced in Europe that have “no basis in reality”. He said he and his colleagues would do anything they could do to assist farmers.
Cllr Declan Bree said it is very clear in recent weeks that the European Commission is “losing touch” with the agricultural sector, adding: “Not a day has gone by in the last number of weeks where we have witnessed farmers across Europe demonstrating. They all have different issues, but in Ireland in particular there is the issue of the ever-increasing administrative burden.
“The IFA have pointed out that many of these new regulations have been introduced without any kind of consultation.”
Cllr Gino O’Boyle said he wished to add his support to the farmers who were making their protest.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Gerard Mullaney, a dairy farmer, referenced his 40 years plus involvement in farming and his own record of being involved in various farm schemes.
He said he believed that farmers are being encouraged to go away from producing food, citing examples of smaller numbers of cattle being sold at marts.
“He spoke about reductions to sheep numbers and to dairy and suckler herd numbers.
“My view is that the EU policy is misguided,” he said.