Farmers’ anger mounting over budget cuts in agriculture

THE anger of farmers over budget cuts in agriculture is continuing to mount as regional meetings take place countrywide.

More than 1,000 farmers attended the second in the series of meetings in Cootehill, Co Cavan, on Tuesday night, following a turnout of over 1,500 people at a similar protest Claremorris, Co Mayo, last week.

The meetings, organised by the Irish Farmers Association, will continue at Dunmanway, Co Cork, and at Tulla and Kilfenora, Co Clare, tomorrow night.

Further meetings are scheduled for Blarney, Co Cork, Letterkenny, Co Donegal and Rathkeale, Co Limerick, on next Monday night and at Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, on November 11.

IFA president Padraig Walshe, speaking in Cootehill, said the cuts would see farmers in the north-east lose €8.5 million because of the shortfall in the suckler cow welfare scheme and the drop in disadvantaged areas payments.

The cut in the disadvantaged areas scheme will result in an income loss of €4.4m for farmers in Cavan, Monaghan, Meath and Louth, while the shortfall in the suckler scheme will see beef farmers suffer a loss of €4.1 million.

Mr Walshe said the cut in disadvantaged areas payments directly hit the incomes of 4,286 farmers in the region and contravened Government commitments that the weakest groups would not be targeted in the budget.

“The Government’s attack on the 6,000 farmers participating in the suckler welfare scheme comes as a further blow, hitting many of these same farmers on the double.

“The disadvantaged areas and suckler scheme cutbacks combined are a devastating blow, wiping up to 11% off the incomes of thousands of low income farm families, depending on cattle and sheep in the most economically fragile areas of the country,” he said.

Mr Walshe said the suspension of installation aid was a blow to the confidence of young people struggling to get established in farming.