Farmers also need a benchmarking deal
With cheap imports from countries outside the EU undermining our prices, and the removal of export subsidies, the reduction in import tariffs will do untold damage to our industry as we farmers will find ourselves exposed like no other sector.
Why? The answer lies with the failure of our unions, the farming organisations, to put a system in place to protect our income.
In the case of other sectors, the trade unions have in place two different types of protection: minimum wage and benchmarking. In fact, these are protective legislation for public sector employees and politicians alike.
It is not too late for farming leaders and other sectors to come up with a mechanism to protect our incomes and to put pressure on the Government to protect the margin on food we produce.
This mechanism shouldn't allow imports to undermine our product prices. Farming leaders within Europe should wake up to the fact that food production is under serious threat as a result of their inaction.
The Government isn't blameless either. It should be helping the weaker sectors, including manufacturing, haulage and fishing, in addition to farming. The Government has its eggs in two baskets building and technology. If either of them takes a big hit, the other sectors are so weak as to make economic recovery virtually impossible.
Michael Flynn
Rathgormack
Co Waterford.
