'We’re going out of business — I can’t survive': 'Frightened' farmers protest in Cork
Tractors on the Carrigrohane Road near the County Hall, Cork where farmers protested as part of their campaign against the over-regulation of farming. Picture: Dan Linehan
Farmers from across Co Cork descended on Cork Airport on Monday morning as part of protests held to highlight their frustrations with policy.
A large convoy of tractors targeted the airport soon after 7am, with the Irish Farmers' Association saying it wanted to put a spotlight on the "hypocrisy" of Dublin Airport "looking to expand by 25%" in terms of annual passenger numbers while Irish farmers have been set a target to reduce agricultural emissions by the same figure by 2030.
Farmers moved their protest from the airport to the council offices at County Hall on Carrigrohane Road after 9am ahead of Cork County Council's meeting, where about 50 tractors lined the road.
Cork Central IFA dairy chairman Alan Jagoe told the farmers came from all corners of the county to take part in the protest — one farmer "had fed his calves at 3am, milked at 4am, and left at 6am".
Farmers raised their concerns with councillors, and gave a letter to the County Mayor outlining same.
The protest was part of the IFA's ongoing 'enough is enough' campaign, which is targeting county council meetings around the country.
Munster IFA chairman Conor O'Leary said farmers were "tied up in a bureaucratic mess".
"We’ve issues around nitrates, payment system failures, measurement of emissions, and frustration around unworkable regulations," Mr O'Leary said.
"We’re in a situation where we can't plan, we have no generational plan, we have no pathway forward that we can see where farmers can go and it’s a really concerning issue."
A particular focus of Monday morning's action was the nitrates derogation reduction from 250kg of nitrogen per hectare to 220kg and the impact this was having on farmers, who were having to obtain more land or reduce stock numbers to comply with the new rules.
The European Commission decision to reduce this stocking rate is one made by "people that never came to see our systems — and our system here is fundamentally different to the European model", Mr O'Leary said.
"The European model is 20% grassland, and we’re 90% grassland. We need Europe to come here and see what we do," he added.
Mr O'Leary said the councillors they were meeting on Monday "were good to us last year in the nitrates debate", having backed a delay to new rules.
But this year, "they're up for election soon; agriculture is a huge industry in Cork and we need our councillors here to stand up for us," Mr O'Leary said.
Brian Desmond, a tillage farmer in Kinsale, told the at the protest farmers are "going out of business".
"If I have a year like I did this past year, next year I’m out of tillage — that’s 230 acres gone off the map," Mr Desmond said.
"I can't survive. I’m frustrated.
"Regulations, policies — won't matter in two years' time when I’m not farming."
He said he was fearful Ireland would have to depend on food imports from "volatile" countries if farmers here and across the EU were not supported.
"We have a big problem down the road. I feel we’re in a bad way here and it’s not being highlighted enough," he added.
Corney Buckley from Bantry said farmers were "at our wits’ end at this stage with the rules and regulations, the amount of red tape".
"We’re fighting for our livelihood," Mr Buckley said.
He said farmers needed to be compensated to be able to meet environmental obligations.
"This is only the start of our campaign which will continue on. We’re coming up to council elections, European elections, possibly a general election, and for that particular reason we want to let them [politicians] know that unless they come up with the solutions, they can forget about their votes from the farming people," Mr Buckley warned.
He said people in the sector were "frightened", and a "lot of people are just going to pack up the business of farming".
"We’re going to see no young people coming into farming, we’re going to see people exiting farming because they just can't continue, and for that reason I’d be worried about food security down the road," Mr Buckley added.
County Mayor Frank O'Flynn told the he was "understanding" of the farmers' concerns, particularly as a "small farmer's son" and having "worked in the dairy industry for 43 years".
"I understand their issues and their problems. I support them and I’m delighted to meet them here," he said.
He accepted a letter from the IFA with one of the farmers' requests in it being to "meet with the council, and I’ll be facilitating that in the near future", the mayor said.
"There’s one thing about farmers: really and truly, any changes that come up, they embrace them — but I think they’re going a step too far now," he added.
Daa / Cork Airport has issued a statement following the protest this morning, saying that "like Ireland’s farming community, daa is playing its part in the national and global effort to address climate change".
"Both Cork and Dublin airports have committed to reducing their Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 51% by 2030 – these are the emissions we have direct control over," the statement said.
"This commitment is in line with the National Climate Action Plan’s public sector targets. Our efforts have been recognised by SEAI, which has named Cork Airport the leading commercial semi-state body for its energy management for two years running.
"We also continue to work closely with our airline partners to identify opportunities to reduce the carbon emissions that are under their direct control."
Today's action in Co Cork comes as farmers across Europe continue to protest. Farmers brought their tractors to Brussels on Monday where the EU's agriculture ministers are holding a meeting to discuss the challenges facing the sector.
