Farmers neglected and disrespected - Mary Lou McDonald tells AGM in Limerick

WHEN SINN Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald took to the stage in the Castletroy Park Hotel this Monday for the ICMSA AGM she immediately addressed the elephant in the room.

"I note that there has been surprise expressed by some at my attendance here today," Deputy McDonald told the gathered crowd of traditionally Fine Gael and Fianna Fail voters. 

"There was no need for surprise. Sinn Féin have a long track record of representing farmers and championing Irish food production.  It was no accident that our party selected agriculture as one of the two ministries that we took in the northern executive.  

"Sinn Féin want to see better and a fairer Ireland.  That can only be achieved with balanced regional development. That means that we need economic generation that sustains our towns, villages and rural communities. And the one sector that has proven itself up to that task, again and again, is agriculture," said Ms McDonald.

There was no surprise at her confirmation that she wants to lead the next government.

"I want that to be a government of change. I want farmers to be part of that change and I believe farmers deserve and demand change as much as any other section of our country.

"It is time for a government that is committed to reversing the legacy of neglect and the disrespect shown to farmers and to our rural communities for decades.

"I believe that the vast majority of Ireland’s farmers will be much better off under a Sinn Féin-led government."

Limerick people advised to avail of flu vaccine over increase in influenza cases

Ms McDonald said agriculture is a sector that "stays put". 

"Unlike other sectors, farmers don’t up and leave at times of financial strife. Farmers help us out of it.

"Each of Ireland’s 137,500 farms contribute to the life of their communities; generating economic activity, supporting other local businesses, funding local and sporting groups.

"It is the family farm model that makes Irish agriculture different. It is a model that Sinn Féin are committed to."

Ms McDonald told the room full of mainly dairy farmers that in many cases expansion was embarked on only to "stand still".

"Like other farm systems, many farmers are producing more foods for similar incomes as to their parents and grandparents as margins are continuously squeezed. Dairy farmers are familiar with change because the dairy sector has seen lots of it. And there will be change in the future.

"While change will come, it will be the role of government to ensure that we continue to maintain that preeminent reputation for a high-quality sustainable product that has made our country a world leader. To ensure that our farmers can remain on the land producing that food with their families.

"It is a statement of absolute fact to say that, in order to do this, farmers must be able to make a decent living. I acknowledge the risks and the investments you have made to date. I recognise the pressures that even a short period of market volatility can have.

"Sinn Féin believe that governments have often underappreciated and undervalued farmers."

See more from the ICMSA AGM and Mary Lou McDonald in this week's Limerick Leader, out on Wednesday