IFA accuses Coveney of caving in on budget cuts and failing farmers

AGRICULTURE Minister Simon Coveney and the IFA are at loggerheads over the level of budget cuts facing farmers.

IFA deputy president, Eddie Downey, has accused Mr Coveney of caving in on budget cuts, and not fighting the farmers’ case with his cabinet colleagues.

He spoke after the minister’s address to the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture, where Mr Coveney outlined proposed cuts of over €350 million to the 2012 agriculture budget.

Mr Downey said: “The scale of the cuts proposed is totally unacceptable, and far in excess of any other government department. Cuts to any farm scheme will impact severely on farm incomes and farmers expect the minister to fight their case in Government.

“It is not good enough for the minister to roll over to the demands of the Department of Public Expenditure,” he added.

IFA analysis suggests that farmers will face a cut of over 20% on last year’s budgetary allocation, and not 12% as the minister has suggested. Mr Downey said it is disingenuous of the minister to include the Single Farm Payment as part of the budget as this is EU money and is not part of the department’s exchequer allocation.

In reply, Mr Coveney said: “While I understand farmers’ concerns in relation to the forthcoming budget, I would like to point out that the figure of €361m to which I referred in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture is taken directly from the programme for national recovery for 2011 to 2014, published by the previous government.”

“The funding available to my department in the 2012 budget will be determined by the Government, while having regard to the outcome of the expenditure review and the ongoing discussions on the 2012 estimates process,” he said.

“I would also like to make the point that I am in communication with the farm organisations on a weekly basis and they know how to contact me.

“The comment by the IFA that I do not defend the interests of both farmers and the agri-food industry is one that I refute wholeheartedly and my track record as minister supports this,” Mr Coveney added.