Farmers feel abandoned by Government, says IFA chief

Farming is sustainable but can be made more sustainable, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this evening, after addressing the annual gathering of the country’s largest farming organisation.

“We see now that [carbon] emissions for agriculture are falling. That’s really encouraging,” Mr Varadkar said after his remarks to the Irish Farmers Association (IFA).

“Farming here is sustainable but can be made more sustainable,” he added. “We need to work together to improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve biodiversity.”

The Taoiseach’s comments follow a warning from the association’s new president that, as local, European and national elections approach, political parties cannot take farmers for granted.

Francie Gorman, who took over as IFA president today, said that farmers feel abandoned and let down by the current Government.

Addressing the IFA’s 69th AGM, he said that farmers need a greater say in the Irish and EU policies that affects them, urging that they be rewarded for the positive role they play in delivering on Ireland’s environmental ambitions by adapting and investing in their farms.

He condemned what he called inaccurate and unfair depictions of farmers and claimed that Ireland is one “of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly, food-producing nations on the planet”.

Mr Gorman also criticised retailers discounting food, insisting that nobody is fooled by retailers’ claims that they – and not farmers – take the monetary hit.

Farmers end up paying, he insisted, and urged retailers to publish data on margins and profits, and if they do not, he called on the new Agri Food Regulator to get “stuck in”.

He said that negotiation will always be his starting point, but with the support of the IFA National Council he is prepared to do “whatever it takes to deliver for farmers”.

The AGM was also addressed by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that he is proud of Ireland’s record as a food exporter and that he wants to protect family farming.

“The world needs affordable food and needs food security,” Mr Varadkar added. “So our objective is to protect the family farm model, to increase farm incomes, and to do so in a way that doesn’t destroy our climate or undermine biodiversity”.

Reacting to the new IFA president’s comments, Dr Elaine McGoff, Head of Advocacy with An Taisce, said the claim Irish farming is sustainable is very much open to question.

“Intensive agriculture continues to drive declines in water quality, increasing GHGs, ammonia emissions and biodiversity loss,” she said.

“Ireland’s agriculture is the most carbon intensive in the EU on a per capita basis, and it’s the biggest driver of water pollution in Ireland.

“It’s time to move beyond arguing over who has the better facts, towards figuring out solutions that work both for farmers and for the environment.

“Farmers have a key role to play in protecting the environment, and should be rewarded for that, but until farm leaders acknowledge the scale of the challenge those meaningful discussions can’t progress.”