Why I marched with farmers on Government buildings : 'We want to be leaders for change'

Macra na Ferime members speak to the Irish Examiner about why they marched on Government buildings this week and the change they want to see in rural Ireland

Liam Hanrahan farms in Doonbeg, Co Clare in partnership with his parents. Picture: Michael Donnelly

Young people "want to be leaders for change," but they need to have policy on their side, West Clare man Liam Hanrahan has said.

Mr Hanrahan, Macra’s agricultural affairs committee chairman and 2019 FBD Macra na Feirme Young Farmer of the Year, farms in Doonbeg in partnership with his parents.

As part of Macra's work, he feels it is important that effort goes into "showcasing farming as a career option for young people".

"We all know the figures are low for young people farming. We want a vibrant industry into the future, and to do that, you need young people," Mr Hanrahan said.

Members and supporters of Macra Na Feirme who walked 79 km from its founding place in Athy to Government Buildings, Dublin to highlight their concerns about their futures within rural communities. Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

"It's a career that takes a huge amount of energy and motivation, so it’s a young person's game." 

Some of the concerns that led to Mr Hanrahan and his Macra colleagues organising the march to Dublin include forthcoming climate and environmental policies.

"One of the items on our list is the rewetting of land in the EU restoration proposals, it would be fairly disastrous to large parts of rural Ireland if the law came in in its entirety," Mr Hanrahan fears.

"There are some aspects of it that would work no problem at all, and people will work with it, but the scale at which it’s being proposed at the moment, it will have a major impact on productive grassland and a major impact on agricultural activity, family farms and rural communities and that, to us, is not where we want to go."

He said the industry is "facing a lot of reduction measures and proposals at the minute," and that he believes policy "can do better than that".

He added that for the sector stakeholders, politicians included, "there’s an awful lot of learning to be done by everyone to try and ensure that we can work" with evolving policies.

"We want to be on the public side, climate action is being led by young people all over the world, and young farmers want to lead in this too," Mr Hanrahan said.

"We want to be leaders for change, and farmers have always adapted and changed in circumstances.

"We know we have to do a lot of work, and we’re willing to work with it, but it has to be done the right way."