The next government will need to put forward “a new deal” to support farmers, the Irish Farmers’ Association has said.
Francie Gorman, president of the IFA, told the Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald on Tuesday that the farming sector is facing a “huge challenge” in attracting the next generation of farmers.
Mr Gorman said this is due to a combination of falling income and better opportunities in the economy “making it very difficult for the next generation to commit to come home farming” .
He said analysis it conducted over recent months showed that farming incomes were down 34 per cent over the last six years.
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“Whether its the work of the EU commission or whoever forms the next government - we do need a new deal that’s going to support farmers,” he said.
“A deal that recognises and regards farmers that are doing the work and producing the food.”
Mr Gorman said the IFA was also seeking commitments from parties and any future government that the EU-Mercosur trade agreement would be opposed.
The deal would reduce obstacles to trade between the European Union and the Mercosur trade block which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. It would also allow access to EU markets for good and services, including agricultural exports, from the South American countries.
“We don’t want compensation, what we want is a level playing field and that deal in its current form undermines our beef and poultry industry in particular and it cannot be allowed to go through,” Mr Gorman said.
He also called for the nitrates derogation, which allows farmers to exceed the limit of 170 kg of livestock manure nitrogen per hectare set down in the Nitrates Regulations, (up to a maximum of 220 kg or 250 kg per hectare) to be kept in place.
Mr Gorman criticised the Government’s Acres scheme which was established to assist farmers in enhancing biodiversity, climate, air, and water quality on their farms.
He said it was “shambolic” that €1.5bn of taxpayers money had been given to the Department of Agriculture and “yet very few people have a good word to say about it”.
Mr Gorman said a promised review of the scheme was not “good enough” and that it had to be overhauled with a new scheme that recognises the cost of production.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he would do what he could to protect the nitrates derogation. He also said there was a climate emergency and there was “no sugar coating that”.
“It is true. The science doesn’t lie, the planet is on fire. There is a need to take action. But we can’t just talk about agriculture in that prism,” he said.
The Fine Gael leader added that the climate emergency should not solely be the “responsibility of farmers”.
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