Farming Poll 2016: Vital that all farmers get to voice concerns

THIS is the fourth year that ICMSA and the Irish Examiner have come together to commission and publish what has become the most definitive snapshot of the attitudes and ambitions of the farming community, writes John Comer, president of the ICMSA.

We are proud of our association with this survey. It seems to us to be more vital than ever that the voices of the farmers themselves, from every part of the state, across all ages and through all sectors, are allowed to express their current feelings on a wide range of issues unfiltered by any particular agenda or preconception.

That was our original aim in getting involved and we hope that the integrity and independence of those motives is reflected both in the findings and in the spirit with which they will be received. That this year’s survey shows a sector both anxious and increasingly pessimistic cannot be surprising.