Deasy believes he can make difference for farms
"I would not be running for President unless I believed I could make a real difference to the lives of Irish farmers, their families and the agriculture and food industry", says the Aglish, Roscrea man who farms near the family homestead from where his father, the late Rickard Deasy, led NFA in the 1960s.
"In spite of the difficulties and uncertainties, I want to promote farming as a career, by demanding reasonable incomes, streamlining the bureaucracy which continues to grow, and making farming once more an attractive career and lifestyle. Above all, I want to retain the optimum number of farm families on the land, making a decent living. That is something I have worked for all my life, and something I will continue to promote", he adds.
Ruaidhri, completing four years as IFA Deputy President, reminds farmers that he know what hard times in farming are, having been faced with crippling interest charges of 23% shortly after he purchased his farm at Aglish, and faced a tough struggle to meet his commitments to the bank. But this resilience, he says, has helped him meet and cope with the challenges and represent the interest of all farmers. "I come to this election with a strong sense of responsibility. You will get it from me straight and honest. That is what I believe in", he tells the electorate. He says that the price cost squeeze is a real threat to farming, which must be tackled by securing better prices, encouraging new enterprises, and adding value to farm produce by direct sale to consumers.
He sees new challenges for IFA in improving their service to farmers, such as developing a new range of professional farm services, initiating a new farm profit analysis service, and developing a tailored health insurance scheme for rural families.
He says the power of supermarkets must be opposed, and farmers must get an better share of the end price by building alliances with consumers, and demanding the same traceability for imports as for Irish food. He warns that farmers are in danger of being harassed out of business by regulations and inspections.
He wants to "put pride, profit and progress back into farming".
