Focus on farm families for new farming organisation

Focus on farm families for new farming organisation


Anton McNulty

A GROUP of farmers from the west of Ireland have decided to form a new national organisation which will represent the interests of marginalised low income famers and farm families.
The decision to form the new organisation, which has yet to be named, was made following a meeting of up to 50 farmers held on Sunday night in the Knockranny House Hotel in Westport. The meeting was attended by farmers mostly from the Connacht counties but also from farmers in Donegal and Munster.
The majority of farmers were hill farmers and farmers on marginal land who feel their needs are not being represented in negotiations by the larger farming organisations particularly in relation to the recent controversy over collective agreement.
Brendan Joyce told The Mayo News that the decision to form a new organisation was because they feel they will be best placed to negotiate on behalf of small farm families.
“This came about because a lot of farmers feel the farming organisations are not representing their agenda particularly for low income farmers and those on marginal lands. There is a feeling that in the CAP negotiations the interests of the bigger sectors was taken into account and not necessary the interests of all farmers. It is not just hill farmers but small farmers on marginal land and small family farms who are not being represented. The focus must now be on protecting the future viability of the family farm,” he explained.
Mr Joyce was the chairman of his local IFA branch in Connemara and tendered his resignation following the meeting. He said he was not calling on people to leave the IFA and it was up to farmers to make their own decision. However, he added that the feeling at the meeting was that a new organisation was ‘long overdue’.
“The majority of people present would have been in the IFA or held positions in the IFA. Not one person spoke against it and there was a feeling it may be too late in the day and should have happened earlier. From their point of view it was a momentous decision and long overdue,” he said.
A committee has being formed which comprises of farmers from lowland, hill and those with designated land to work towards the launching of an organisation by the end of February. The committee will be meeting farmers in various areas around the country and formalising their policy before the launch.
Meanwhile, a delegation of hill and commonage farmers are to travel to Brussels today (Tuesday) where they will meet with the Director of the Rural Development Programme, Josefine Loriz-Hoffmann to discuss issues relating to the implementation of the Irish Rural Development Programme.
The delegation met with Ms Loriz-Hoffmann and her officials last November and are also due to meet the Directorate-General of the Environment.