Limerick IFA Executive revolts over inspections
They have unanimously summoned IFA’s President, Padraig Walsh, Deputy President Derek Deane, and Chief Executive Michael Berkery to meet them to address their concerns over inspections.
At a lively meeting, Executive member Pat Coleman, Kilmeedy led a challenge to the organisation’s leaders to do more about what he claimed is a “concerted campaign to put farmers out of business”. He took to his feet after Limerick IFA Chairman Michael Roche presented a list of the 1,450 items which can be checked during a farm inspection.
Mr Coleman said, “If I let these inspectors inside my gate, they’ll close me down. I am at nothing, because they can come in, even when I am not there, and put me out of business.” He said, “The IFA is my trade union. I pay them to look after my interests. There is no trade union official in this country that would accept the way farmers are being treated. Everyone has self-regulation except farmers.”
“We are being let down by our own organisation that we are paying to represent us, but I am not paying for them any more, because I am going out of business, because of the regulations that have been accepted”.
Waving a letter, he added, “According to this letter, I am liable to be prosecuted because the registration of a calf was late. There is more regulation in this country for animals than for people. We have accepted too much. It is now time to put the inspectors outside the gate and keep them there, and we will last a little longer. If we continue to accept what is going on, we are out of business”.
There was unanimous agreement to ask IFA’s top brass to come to a meeting to answer farmers’ questions, after several members expressed extreme frustration at over-regulation.
Gerard Cronin, Ballingarry said Irish farmers were subjected to the toughest enforcement within the EU. John Fennessy said IFA had been “asleep”, and farmers could not accept what was being imposed on them.
David Thompson, Pallasgreen said, “We don’t want pussy cats, they are no good. We are going out of business.”
Also last week, IFA President Padraig Walshe committed to intensify the anti-inspections campaign, to secure fair play and proper rights for farmers. He said no-notice inspections were in breach of health and safety regulations and the Department of Agriculture’s own obligations, as spelled out in documentation they require farmers to sign during inspections.
He said many farmers who had financial penalties imposed had signed inspection report summaries under duress, without understanding the full ramifications for their single farm payment.
Mr Walsh added: “The intrusion of Department inspectors at milking time is not necessary, totally unacceptable, and a risk in terms of health and safety.”
