48% of farmers say rights protests have bad impact

Almost half of farmers believe protests by animal rights and vegan campaigners are having a bad impact on the rural community.

Asked if increased agitation and protests by vegan and animal rights campaigners is having a negative impact on the rural community, 48% of respondents agreed. Just under one third of respondents disagreed.

Men, younger farmers, and those aged 55 to 64, and those in livestock and without a second job were more likely to agree with the statement.

Bernie Wright, spokeswoman for the Alliance for Animal Rights and Association of Hunt Saboteurs, said some of the response from people in the poll may have been influenced by a recent advertising billboard campaign that made pointed references to the dairy industry and animal separation.

“A lot of people who live in country are against hare coursing and blood sports,” she said.

“Vegans are not against farmers, we are against animal abuse and if you take somebody’s life and carve them up, that is abuse to us, the meat industry is abuse. Everybody has their own line and you draw your line above what you disapprove of.”

Ms Wright said of the billboard campaign, which was financed by a separate body: “That is really what got at them, we are pointing out the truth about the meat industry, the milk industry. They are all the one really, the milk industry is nearly worse than the meat industry.”

Caroline Rowley, of Compassion in World Farming Ireland, said a billboard campaign by Vegan World against dairy may have been in the minds of poll responders.

“There has been a rise in veganism also which will have affected demand and so negatively impact farmers,” she said.

“However, I would have thought the weather this year would have been of much greater concern to farmers than the actions of animal rights campaigns. First the wet winter causing a fodder shortage and then the dry summer. That also impacted crop farmers. The impending fodder crisis we are likely to hit come winter must be a real worry to livestock farmers.

“The only campaigning we [Compassion Ireland] have been doing is in relation to live export and as calf exports have hit a whopping 150,000 this year, we are clearly failing miserably.”

“There has also been an increase in exports to Libya and a general increase by over 20% on last year’s export volumes. Plus if half of farmers questioned are still grumbling despite the increase in live export, then that clearly isn’t the holy grail we are led to believe it is, bolstering the farming industry that would otherwise implode without it. Live export only benefits the handful of exporters, it doesn’t benefit the farming community.”

Last week, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed told an animal welfare conference the Quality Assurance Schemes as overseen by Bord Bia continue to play an important role in underpinning our reputation as a major food exporter.

“Animal welfare considerations must continue to be placed at the centre of our Assurance Schemes. Irish producers are in an excellent position to benefit because of our strong record on animal husbandry developed over generations,” he said.

In response to the survey findings, the ICMSA said Irish farming is conspicuous for applying the highest animal welfare standards to be found anywhere. “We are proud of our commitment to animal welfare and it is an issue on which we are happy to co-operate but only within the bounds of reality and accepted science.”