'EU bribing us with our own money, to end family farming on marginal lands' - Fiztmaurice

Independent TD for Roscommon-Galway, Michael Fitzmaurice, has claimed the EU plans "to phase out traditional farming on Ireland's marginal lands" saying the "EU's coercive proposals" are "imposing a slew of restrictions on farming activities crucial to our agricultural legacy and sustenance."

A statement to the Leitrim Observer said: "A slew of limitations now loom over essential farming activities such as ploughing, drainage, shoring, and sausage turf cutting on marginal lands, as a condition for farmers to be able to apply for BISS, otherwise known as the single farm payment. These restrictions represent more than just an affront to our agricultural practices; they reflect a blatant indifference to the economic and cultural essence of rural Ireland."

“Proposals that restrict ploughing, shoring, new drains and sausage turf cutting on areas applied for under BISS, otherwise known as single farm payment, will corner many farmers on marginal land into a dilemma, in the future."

"The proposals would mean that farmers must choose between sacrificing their single farm payment, thus farming without grants, or watching their lands morph into wetlands as new drainage will be outlawed.” 

“The forthcoming release of new maps by the Department of Agriculture is another storm brewing on the horizon. These maps are set to redefine peaty soil and mineral soils, altering our understanding and categorisation of marginal lands. This redefinition threatens to subject even more lands to the restrictive clutches of EU guidelines, thereby suffocating the vitality of our rural communities further."

 “The EU's historical trajectory, tracing back to the Habitats Directive and most recently embodied in the Nature Restoration laws, unveils a calculated trend aimed at undermining the rights and traditional practices of Irish farmers."

Fitzmaurice has called on the Minister to "confront this sophisticated form of tyranny head-on, advocating for the rights and traditions of Irish farmers."

The statement continued that the "looming CAP negotiations present a perilous tableau where farmers are snookered into a bleak choice: bow to debilitating restrictions to qualify for the BISS (single farm payment) or uphold the free use of their lands at the steep cost of indispensable financial support."

"The time is ripe for our MEPs and government officials to rally against these predatory policies, championing the interests and enduring legacy of Irish farmers on both the national and European frontiers. The survival of family farming on marginal lands transcends economic considerations; it embodies the preservation of our cultural heritage and rural identity."