Farmers split on Lisbon vote

A SPLINTER group of farmers has launched a No to Lisbon campaign, claiming its introduction will dilute Irish inheritance laws and slash farming incomes in an enlarged EU.

Senior farming leaders were joined by fishermen and politicians yesterday in their bid to garner opposition ahead of the referendum six weeks from today.

James Reynolds, a former chairman of the Irish Farmers Association, said the Farmers for No group were not anti-EU. But he claimed that, since Ireland had joined the EU in 1973, farmer numbers had fallen from 300,000 to 130,000.

The group claims EU inheritance law proposals mean Irish farmers will be unable to pass on their family farm as a single entity to their children. The property would be split up and sold so it is shared in equal parts under the planned harmonisation of inheritance laws, the group claim. The EU shelved its proposals in May this year until after the Lisbon vote, say the farmers.

The farmers claim Lisbon is a proxy referendum on Turkish entry into the EU through its enlargement.

“Turkish accession means the number of farmers in the EU would double overnight, causing the Common Agriculture Payments scheme to collapse across western Europe.”

But Mr Reynolds admitted nowhere in the Lisbon treaty did it mention Turkey’s possible accession. He added that this was part of the union’s expansion options, which could not succeed without Lisbon.

Farmers yesterday also voiced their concern about the EU’s “hyper-regulation” arguing that moves like the Nitrates, Habitat and Soil Directives were all strangling Irish agriculture.

Their campaign launch was joined by the Irish Fishermen’s Organisation (IFO) who said fishing practices had been ruined by bad EU policy. While Ireland owned 24% of EU waters, it was only allowed fish in 4% of them, argued the IFO. It claimed a Yes to Lisbon would mean bigger fishing fleets controlled by EU interests who would have little regard for small coastal communities and livelihoods.

Former Munster MEP Kathy Sinnot backed the campaign launch yesterday as did Billy Clancy, a north Tipperary councillor.