Farmers opposed to disruption of Sea2Summit – IFA

Farmers opposed to disruption of Sea2Summit - IFA


THE disruption of the Westport Sea2Summit adventure race by disgruntled farmers will be a ‘step in the wrong direction’ and action opposed by the majority of hill farmers according to Mayo IFA.
Last week, The Mayo News reported that commonage farmers were considering blocking up to 1,200 adventure racers from climbing Croagh Patrick at the Sea2Summit race, due to be held on Saturday, November 8, in a bid to address their concerns about key aspects of the proposed Rural Development Plan.
Commenting on the reports, Padraic Joyce, Chairman of Mayo IFA told The Mayo News that any attempts to disrupt tourist events in the county will not be in the best interest of farmers in the county.
“It would be a step in the wrong direction and not something the IFA would support and indeed is something we would be totally opposed to. I’m quite sure that the majority of farmers are of the same mindset and I do not believe they would support the action either. A lot of farmers rely on agri-tourism themselves and their families depend on tourism,” he said.
Representatives from Mayo IFA met with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday (Monday) when he was in the county, where they pressed the urgency of a master plan for each commonage area to be drawn up and paid by the Department of Agriculture in order for commonage farmers to enter the GLAS scheme.
Mayo IFA hope to meet the Minister for Agriculture later this week and Mr Joyce said they will also urge him to draw up a master plan of each commonage. Despite criticism by some commonage farmers of the IFA, Mr Joyce believes that the majority of farmers are ‘behind us’ and ‘recognise the work we do on their behalf’.
A statement released by the Hill Farmers Action Group following a recent meeting of the Mayo IFA County Executive, described the position of the IFA towards the problems facing commonage farmers as a ‘breath of fresh air’.
“After the meeting there was a renewed since of pride in (IFA County Chairman) Padraig Joyce and indeed the IFA. When Padraig Joyce makes his address to Eddie Downey [President IFA], we as members are sure that the organisation will come out against the Collective Agreement and against our other main issues publicly. This should avert any actions that the Commonage Farmers were willing to undertake and it will show that their grass roots members are really who they are fighting for,” the statement read.