IFA angry over exclusion from international earth summit

THE Department of the Environment yesterday rejected an IFA claim it was attempting to exclude the voice of farmers from the Irish delegation to attend next month's earth summit in South Africa.

IFA Environmental Committee chairman Francis Fanning said the department is funding a range of environmental non-governmental groups (NGOs) to attend the summit.

But it had not chosen to invite IFA representatives, who are at the forefront of the debate and policy on how best to protect the environment.

He said support for narrowly-based ad hoc groups, which include a number of obscure organisations with questionable mandates, to represent the Irish people, without the presence of the key players from farming was incredible and impossible to justify.

Mr Fanning explained this summit will set out a framework for environmental policies internationally for the next 10 years, including climate change and its implications for stock levels, water quality, waste management and food policies as part of sustainable development.

“The outcome of this summit is vitally important to all sectors of society and not just a select group of environmental NGOs,” he said.

Mr Fanning pointed out farmers are the guardians of the high quality rural environment, and yet have borne the brunt of excessive and costly environmental regulation.

“As social partners since 1987, and with a membership of 85,000, the IFA has made its valid case to government for full inclusion in the Irish delegation to the earth summit.

“Without the voice of Irish farmers, the Irish earth summit delegation will lack credibility and not reflect the interests of farmers,” he said.

A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said in pursuance of its commitment to supporting and developing the role of environmental NGOs, it occasionally assists, as funds allow, with funding for their attendance at appropriate conferences abroad, but does not actually advertise for funding applications.

The environmental organisation applies to the department, setting out the details of the conference, together with their estimated expenditure, and the decision to allocate funding is made on the merits of each individual application.