Act now to stop farms being sold to international buyers, says Doyle

THE Irish family farm is facing a new threat from international buyers who are taking over large tracts of land around the world in the face of rising food prices, it was claimed yesterday.

Fine Gael agriculture spokesman Andrew Doyle, TD, said action must be taken to protect Irish farms from large multi-nationals and even sovereign states, who could threaten the very foundation of farming here.

“Ever since food prices rocketed in 2008, countries like China, Korea and the Gulf states have joined pension funds and multi-national corporations in buying up large parcels of land around the world.

“They are motivated by increasingly scarce supplies of food and water, as well as the profit margin,” he said.

Mr Doyle said New Zealand is now being targeted, with at least 50 farms under negotiations for takeover on both islands.

“I am concerned that Ireland is next in line. The family farm structure has been a lynchpin of rural Ireland for hundreds of years. But it also plays a crucial economic role. At least 70% of profits arising from agriculture remain in Ireland, unlike the bulk of profits generated by multi-national companies,” he said.

Mr Doyle said Irish farming must be protected for the sake of our economic future.

“Just as food production and the entire agri-food sector is on the cusp of realising its true potential, we must ensure that it remains a native indigenous industry.

“It would be a tragedy if future profits from the agri-food sector, and thousands of new jobs in value-added processes, were moved offshore,” he said.

The best way to protect the family farm from predatory interests is by securing the single farm payment and the Common Agricultural Policy. These provide crucial support to the single owner/operator structure.

“It is vital that Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith now acknowledges this very serious matter,” he said.

Mr Doyle’s warning came as New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he was “genuinely worried” about large foreign purchases of farmland in his country.

“If we ended up in a position where New Zealanders are tenants in their own country, I can’t see how that would be in New Zealand’s best interests.”

While there had been periods of increased overseas interest in New Zealand farms in the past, Mr Key said the issue deserved further scrutiny due to “the sheer scale of it” at present.