Farmers the unsung heroes

THE National Farm Survey by Teagasc proved again that farmers are the unsung heroes of the Celtic Tiger economy, but also highlighted their vulnerability and the vulnerability of industries depending on them.

It was published during a week when the country was inundated by up to four inches of rain, which has put further intolerable strain on farmers after a summer of drought and a spring of floods.

Fine Gael Agriculture and Food Spokesperson Denis Naughten was right when he said the survey results for 2005 showed the average farmer in Ireland is now just farming for the love of it and not as a livelihood. “Is it any wonder that six farmers abandon farming every day?”, he said, and that question looks very valid in the light of this year’s disastrous weather, allied to the Survey figures.