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The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is readying to ramp up its protest campaign over farm payment delays and the confirmation of a stocking rate cut for many of the country’s nitrates derogation herds.
A demonstration held outside the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters on Kildare Street on Thursday will be followed by further protests at Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil think-ins next week.
The association plans on protesting outside a Fianna Fáil think-in set for Co Tipperary on Monday and Tuesday, as well as a similar Fine Gael event scheduled on Friday and Saturday, IFA president Tim Cullinan told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“Obviously, we are escalating and our plan is that Fianna Fáil have their think-in at the Horse and Jockey down in Tipperary on Monday and we will have a presence there all day Monday,” Cullinan said.
“And Fine Gael are having their think-in in Limerick next Friday and Saturday and we will have a presence there as well.
Engage
“We want to engage with people, but will not engage with people who just make a decision themselves without proper consultation. I think the time for talking around this is over and it’s time for action.
“I speak with everybody and I will work with anybody. I have only one agenda here and my agenda is to ensure that we get a payment on time for farmers and that we get a reprieve from this derogation.
“That is my agenda and that’s what I will be doing over the weeks and months ahead,” he commented at the Ag House protest.
Thursday protest
The IFA’s protest on Thursday outside Ag House saw around 100 farmers gather, when a meeting was called by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to discuss the delay in farm payments and to give an update on the European Commission’s decision to grant no time flexibility on a nitrates derogation cut.
Speaking outside the meeting, IFA’s deputy president Brian Rushe was critical of the Minister on both issues, as well as the cancellation of a Farmers’ Charter meeting, which had previously been set for Portloaise.
“In a cynical move by the Minister, he cancelled the charter rights meeting and moved the meeting today to Ag House here,” Rushe told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“But not only that - yesterday he made an announcement which was effectively putting up the white flag on the nitrates derogation."
Rushe claimed that the Ag House meeting could be used as a “mudguard for the Minister to cover up his and his own Department’s failings” on delayed payments and the derogation decision.
The meeting was also boycotted by Macra, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA).
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