Farmers start tractor protest against falling incomes

Farmers have started a five-day protest over farm incomes and are driving convoys of tractors to protest points at Clonakilty, Co Cork, and Claremorris, Co Mayo.

President of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Mr John Dillon, speaking at a "tractorcade" going through Clonakilty, the home town of the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, said the protest was about one thing: incomes.

Mr Dillon claimed the Government had neglected farming despite average incomes falling to €15,000 - and posting an 8.5 per cent drop last year. Poor weather has compounded farmers' difficulties, with tillage outputs down 30 per cent and winter fodder crops down by 20 per cent.

Livestock farmers are reporting an average 10 per cent fall in prices for beef compared with 2002, and lamb prices are also in decline. There has also been an increase in expenses - including an additional €10 million for annual animal disease eradication levies.

The IFA protest will be staged in every county and will culminate in Dublin on Friday. This morning, Gardaí said the protests had not caused any disruption to traffic.

But the "tractorcade" is expected to cause some traffic delays along the various protest routes.

The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, acknowledged 2002 was a difficult year for farmers but insisted the Government has not neglected them and said his door was always open for talks.

The IFA is also angry at what it sees as the failure of the Minister to defend farmers' incomes in the 2003 Book of Estimates.

The route to be taken by the farmers' protest due to converge on Dublin on Friday.