"I'm having business cards printed on Monday with my new address as Agriculture House," Co Wicklow farmer and IFA grain committee member James Hill told the Irish Farmers Journal this Saturday evening from the reception area of the Kildare St building in Dublin.
He is one of four farmers occupying the building since Wednesday to seek a meeting with Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed on the establishment of a crisis fund for farmers hit by crop losses last year.
We will stay as long as it takes to see a resolution for the people affected
With the minister at Barryroe Show in Co Cork this Saturday and civil servants on their weekend break, Hill said he expected it would be next week before the meeting takes place. "We will stay as long as it takes to see a resolution for the people affected," he added.
Visiting the members of the IFA grain committee in Kildare St, association president Joe Healy said the four men leading the protest did not stand to benefit from the scheme themselves but were representing the small number of farmers hit by bad weather during the last harvest.
"Under restrictive EU state aid rules, the maximum that the Department can give to any farmer under a scheme such as this is €15,000. While the IFA was unhappy with this limit, we accepted that it was non-negotiable as it was an EU rule. However, we were shocked when a Department of Agriculture spokesman leaked that a limit of €5,000 per farmer was being applied," Healy said.
In Dublin for some shopping today? Drop by to support the #IFAsitin on Kildare St - make sure Minister @creedcnw gets a few messages too! pic.twitter.com/vPSoMvqGqF
— Irish Farmers' Assoc (@IFAmedia) July 8, 2017
He was one of many IFA members coming to show support outside the building on Saturday. Hill said the protesters had received visitors from Mayo, Donegal, Kerry and Cork, with promises of more counties sending delegations on Sunday. "This is an issue that is affecting a small number of farmers and it is reassuring to see the wider membership showing support," he said.
He added that relations were good with the reception staff, which the Department has rostered day and night all weekend. Two gardaí are also present at all times. The protesters have been allowed to exit and re-enter the building to access toilets outside.
My son is home from college and he is looking after the sheep
As for his farm back home, Hill said that his crops were not due to be harvested for another while. "My son is home from college and he is looking after the sheep," he added – further proof that he was ready to remain at Agriculture House as long as necessary.
Tillage protest: some growers to lose out as talks centre on €1.5m maximum fund