Strong Support for Day of Protest at IFA Stand at the Ploughing Championships

Speaking from Wexford on the second day of the Ploughing Championships, IFA President John Bryan said that CAP reform decisions in the next few months were of critical importance to farmers, and he welcomed the strong support at the Ploughing for the Day of Action on October 9th.
He said, “Based on the large numbers calling to the IFA stand, there is a clear understanding of the importance of driving home the message that the EU Commission and the Government must fully support primary production and rural communities.  The wider agri and processing sector is acutely aware that a strong CAP budget that supports active production is vital. There is strong support across the agri-business sectors for IFA’s Day of Action to defend the incomes of family farming.

Tommy Harrington, Manager of Wexford Farmers Co-op, said, “Wexford Marts have agreed to facilitate the farm shutdown by moving their sale from the Tuesday to the Monday, as this is a critical issue for their customers and their business”. IFA National Treasurer JJ Kavanagh welcomed the move and said Wexford farmers very much appreciated the support of the Co-op.

John Bryan said, “Previous cuts to farm schemes have been totally disproportionate, and are now hitting the lowest income sector of agriculture. Farmers are sending a message to Minister Coveney that he cannot cut the schemes any further”. He said farm families are already finding it extremely difficult to cope with the extra costs and taxes imposed on them, which are impacting negatively on incomes and competitiveness on the private productive sector.

He said, “The consequences of the disastrous summer and the escalating input costs has put massive pressure on farm incomes, and the Government have failed totally in its promise to farmers to address the dominance of the retail multiples through effective regulation.”

The IFA President said farming supports 300,000 jobs and €9bn of exports in the economy. “However, the sector will not be able to reach its growth potential if farm incomes are not defended at home and in Brussels, and unless the retailers are challenged. The future of our rural economy depends on a viable farming sector. The Day of Action on October 9th is an opportunity for all farm families to take a stand and secure their future.”