IFA leader calls on Laois farmers 'sold by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil' to join nationwide protest

Laois farmers must to Portlaoise's streets as part of a national protest in Ireland's county towns at over-regulation and to get better deal on climate issues and a host of other fronts, according to IFA President Francie Gorman.

The call to protest in April was made by Mr Gorman at the Laois IFA AGM on March 19 where he also said the Fianna Fáil / Fine Gael coalition with the Greens is the ‘biggest problem facing farmers’.

The Ballinakill was given a rousing welcome by farmers from across the county to address the meeting in the wake of him taking over as IFA president in January.

He told farmers in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel that IFA led protests would be mounted in Portlaoise and other county towns around in Ireland in early April in a continuation of the Enough is Enough campaign launched in January.

He believed that this campaign has already delivered in making progress due to the campaign on Acres, liming but he said the Government has it within their remit to take other action with the tillage sector now in urgent need of support.

“You can talk all day about growing the tillage sector but if you can’t save the sector that is there how can you grow it? Those farmers are going to be on their knees by the end of this year,” he said.

He called on the Government to come forward with a package of support which he estimated would need to run to €30 million.
He said the IFA has to work toward restoring the nitrate derogation through the CAP reform. He said the Nature Restoration Laws must also be “railed” against.

Mr Gorman said meetings have taken place with Revenue over VAT issues which have emerged this year. He said the IFA hopes a resolution will be reached.

He said the Department of Public Expenditure’s approval is also awaited on an Ash dieback package. He said these are issues that the Government could solve before the local and European elections and maximum pressure must be placed on election candidates.

He said the extent of frustration over many ssues required him as national president to lead farmers in protest.

“The Association has got to lead farmers in the way that they want to be led,” he said.

He outlined the next public element to the campaign.

“What we are planning is to go to every county town in early April in advance of the elections. We want as many people as is humanly possible to turn up at their county towns…whether it is bodies or tractors we want it replicated around the country,” he said.

Mr Gorman said he did not believe in people who need to go to the capital by mounting a protest in the capital but he would not rule it out.

If we have to go to Dublin after (to protest) we go to Dublin. My belief is that you go local first. You don’t discommode people who support us as farmers - you don’t cheese them off,” he said.

He said the coverage on Joe Duffy of people missing holiday flights due to a farmer protest will ‘blow the goodwill’ among the public.

“But if we have to take action, and have to be more militant, I believe we will take that action,” he said.

He said the next programme for Government after the General election would be hugely important.

“Our single biggest problem at the moment is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael sold out the people who traditionally voted for them and they went into power with the Greens,” he said.

He said the Nature Restoration Law would have been defeated in Europe but Government MEPs voted in favour of it because the Irish Government would have fallen apart otherwise.

He said people voted into power should understand and support farming and that a new programme for the Government should not ‘tie the hands of farmers’.