Farm leaders are failing to maintain their members’ incomes
They have at their disposal the best imaginable tool to ensure their members’ income is maintained — food, the most important fuel of all. Yet our representatives can’t use it to get us a decent income. Why?
We farmers are becoming fewer on the ground and getting busier every day, so much so it is now impossible for many of us to leave the land to go demonstrating for a day.
We will have to work longer and longer hours in order to maintain our income. Are our representatives going to stand by and let it happen? I think so because we farmers are not demanding better. While other union leaders look for a 5% or 6% increase for their members, our leaders are accepting a decrease in our income, while we are subject to ever-increasing costs. Many people have said to me that our farm leaders are too busy playing politics. I believe this is a fair charge. We don’t need another farming organisation; we need the ones already there to protect us.
I have noticed a dangerous development recently at meetings where the leaders at the top table don’t even take notes of what is said from the floor.
Worse still, I have heard them discussing how the meeting went afterwards with remarks like “a rowdy section was in tonight” or farmers from another part of the country “took over the meeting”.
The fact is these are genuine farmers voicing their opinions.
The leaders are also ignoring mandates from the floor.
Recently I challenged two of our farming leaders to meet me. One said I should go down the official route. I did so once and didn’t even get the dignity of a response. In fact, I now believe they are afraid to meet me.
Before they are elected these men seem to have guts, but when in office, they become gutless. Why? Do they not realise that a leader without a specific policy to protect members’ income is like a car without an engine.
Michael Flynn
Rathgormack
Carrick-on-Suir
Co Waterford
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
