Macra plans to take ‘Steps for our Future’

On April 25th Macra will carry the message for the future of Rural Ireland from its roots in Athy County Kildare to the doors of Government in the centre of Dublin.

Macra President John Keane has said that “Over the past two years we have put forward continuous constructive proposals around forming the future that rural young people want in Ireland. Sadly the Government have failed to engage proactively on many of these proposals”.

Macra will walk from Athy, County Kildare where Macra was founded in 1944 to the gates of Government in Dublin City Centre carrying the message for the future of Rural Ireland.

The main issues that are coming to the fore for Macra members are: accessing affordable housing and cumbersome housing planning guidelines, disjointed and sparse healthcare services for rural communities, Governments definition of a family farm as ‘average’ and ‘typical’, no recognition or engagement by Government on a farming succession scheme, lack of planning for the future of our rural communities informed by rural people, imposition of quotas on young farmers availing of grant aid support, lack of public transport for rural Ireland and proposals to rewet large areas of rural Ireland.

Macra will take ‘Steps for our Future’ walking the 14 hours through the night to arrive at the gates of Government at 13:00 on Wednesday, April 26th.

“On behalf of our members across the country, I am asking that rural people from all over the country support our action. We are the future of our rural communities, we want to remain in rural Ireland, what we want now is the Government to support youth in rural Ireland”, the Macra president concluded.