Farmers put partnership talks on hold
But Macra na Feirme president Seamus Phelan told a weekend conference of the 8,000-member body in Kilkenny that despite the unhappiness of farmers with the estimates they had not "pulled out" of social partnership.
Much had been made of the adjournment of the talks on Thursday, when the farm organisations sought a meeting with the Taoiseach and Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy to discuss the estimates.
A meeting with Mr Ahern was part of the process of trying to reach a new agreement, said Mr Phelan, adding the cuts in the estimates will affect the incomes of Macra members more than any other sector and they were entitled to an explanation from both the Taoiseach and the Finance Minister.
The IFA earlier confirmed the bilateral farm talks were suspended, while the ICMSA said it had put its participation in the negotiations on hold.
IFA president John Dillon said the cuts in the agriculture sector were disproportionate and a further body blow to one of the lowest income sectors in the country. He said it would be inconceivable for the IFA to be part of a deal which left farm families worse off than before.
ICMSA president Pat O'Rourke said nothing could be gained by continuing talks at this stage until there is full clarification at a meeting with the Taoiseach and Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh on the Book of Estimates.
"It is unrealistic to expect that farmers can negotiate a new national agreement when further costs are being imposed on them which would mean further farm income decline," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Walsh told the Macra conference there was no option other than to restrain public expenditure due to the economic slowdown.
"We cannot make the mistakes of the past and lumber the upcoming generation with debilitating levels of public debt," he said.
Mr Walsh said 2.8 billion will be spent in 2003 in support of agriculture. Fine Gael agriculture spokesperson Billy Timmins said the cutbacks in agriculture will have a devastating effect on development investment.
He called on the Taoiseach to meet the farm groups and address their concerns, in order that they may be able to re-enter the partnership talks.
