'Anti-farmer' agenda must be tackled Offaly IFA local elections questions and answers session told

“There is an agenda against farming and that is why we need your back.”

The comments of Offaly IFA chairman, Pat Walsh, to candidates in the local elections as he closed a sometimes heated questions and answers session in Tullamore last Thursday night.

He explained IFA organised the event to ensure candidates got a “feel for what our needs are so that you can champion the agriculture agenda.”

Concentrating on environmental issues, the Belmont farmer predicted the Nature Restoration Law will have a major negative impact on farming in Offaly where peat based soils predominate in many parts of the county.

Comparing the law to a “diktat”, he said there was no consultation with farmers and no mention of compensation.

“The law has to be stopped and I ask all councillors to prevail on their counterparts nationally and in Europe to get it scrapped.”

He claimed Minister Eamon Ryan had “gone to Europe to ram it through” and warned the impact on the family farm and the rural economy would be enormous.

Mr Walsh said there was a “hidden agenda” against farmers while George Grant, from Clareen, said farmers “were being bullied and pushed out of business”.

Hitting out at price increases in fuel, Mick Camon, from Cloghan, said there was no money in farming apart from niche areas and claimed “the main producer at the bottom is being ripped off while the people in the middle and at the top are making the profits.”

Speaker after speaker from the floor rounded on green policies such as bog rewetting and the Nature Restoration Law.

The Green Party came under sustained criticism from speakers with Ballydaly farmer, Ollie Neville, claiming a “lot of farmers were up to their neck with land rewetting.” He said the “policy was taking land from us like Cromwell did in the past.”

“If Eamon Ryan wants to talk about land rewetting let him go to the housing housing estates where they get their votes.”

Green Party candidate in the Tullamore electoral area, Liam Walsh said he wanted to walk the land with Mick Camon, Cloghan, and stressed the importance of engagement. “If we don't engage with each other we're not going to learn.”

He said he was 100 per cent behind the Nature Restoration Law. “We have to look at the big picture . . we've got to think of the future, not just for our children but for our children's children and so on . . we have to find the solutions together.”

Replying to Mr Walsh, after he asked for a show of hands as to who believed there was a climate crisis, Ollie Neville, said the climate agenda was being forced on children. “Climate change is being driven into people. You need to be honest with people and stop bamboozling people.”

IFA County Secretary, Joe Daly, said the farming industry did not create any new carbon but rather recycled it. He called for an honest debate and highlighted plans for rewetting, the installation of solar panels and wind energy which he said did not meet biodiversity criteria.

Unannounced farm inspections by Offaly County Council were also highlighted with Cathaoirleach, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, revealing he discussed the issue with council officials who promised to liaise with farmers before the Department of Agriculture became involved in problems.

Noel Keyes, IFA Farm Business officer, said the council needs to put a protocol in place for inspections rather than inspectors just turning up at farm gates.

Issues such as water quality, greenways, the buying up of farmland by big business and the land rezoning tax which will apply at three per cent of the land's market value from 2025 onwards were also raised.

Speaking at the outset of the meeting, IFA Chairman, Pat Walsh, said the CAP Budget had been degraded over the years and finance for environmental measures were being taken from it rather than from a separate Budget.

Fine Gael candidate in the Birr area, Hughie Egan, a dairy farmer from Doon, said decisions will be taken in the next five years which will define farming and promised to be there “fighting the corner” for agriculture.

Green Party candidate in the Birr area, Ekaterine Koneva stressed the importance of organic farming and biodiversity while Claire Murray, Fianna Fail contender in the Edenderry area, highlighted the fodder crisis.

Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, Edenderry area, said farming by the calendar had created huge problems such as in the area of slurry spreading.

Liam Walsh, Green Party, Tullamore, described farmers as the greatest environmentalist and said the issue of climate change was coming up on the doorsteps during his canvass.

Aoife Masterson, Sinn Fein, Tullamore, said she was aware of young people leaving farming because they did not see a future in it.

Cllr Neil Feighery, Fine Gael, Tullamore highlighted the issue of roads and pointed to huge investment by the current Government in rural areas such as Mountbolus and Killeigh.

Aubrey Claffey, Aontu, Birr, said planning restrictions in rural area meant people could not build homes there which had a knock-on effect on the viability of schools, shops and churches.

Jonathan O'Meara, Independent, Birr, highlighted the problem of flooding particularly in the Lusmagh area.

Barbara Daly, Fianna Fail, Birr, said farmers had made huge sacrifices and warned they are being regulated out of business in a way no other sector is being.

Ferbane farmer, John Keena asked candidates what they could do to get a fair price for farmers for their produce from the big retailers.

Hughie Egan said the multiples had huge powers and admitted he did “not see how they could be tackled.”

His party colleague, Neil Feighery, also admitted it was a huge challenge and the large supermarkets had such buying power.

Entering the debate, Sinn Fein's Aoife Masterson said farmers needed to concentrate on high quality branded produce in order to achieve value.

Mick Camon, from Cloghan claimed the producer at the bottom was “being ripped off”. “There is no money in farming apart from certain niche areas,” he added.

George Grant said the planning situation “is ridiculous when someone in west Cork can object to development in Offaly”.

“We're being bullied out of business and it's time for politicians to do something. We saw what happened in the referendums and June 7 will be the second stage of that.”

Aoife Masterson said Sinn Fein has asked for the planning system to overhauled but had been voted down in the Dail.

She said her party opposed the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament.

IFA County Secretary, Joe Daly said it was very important that councillors represent the people who elected them and liaise on the electorate's behalf with officials in county buildings

Aoife Masterson said she is fully committed to engaging with farmers and added it was a disgrace if decisions were being handed down from on high. She called for more transparency from the council when it comes to videos and minutes of meetings and how individual councillors voted on issues.

Niamh McIntosh, an eighth generation farmer from Cloghan, said people must realise that land is finite and highlighted “so much beautiful farmland around us going under concrete”.

She complained that so much new legislation is being introduced farmers could not keep up with it.