Farmers have a real opportunity to create the change that they want to see on Friday, June 7.
“The European elections offer a rare opportunity to farmers to get off the challenging downhill trajectory that the industry is on,” said MEP candidate for Ireland South, Eddie Punch.
While the Ireland South constituency has 23 candidates running, there are only a few with any real experience actively fighting for farmers and rural Ireland.
“There’s a lot of talk of ‘rewards’ for farmers from MEP candidates,” said Punch, “particularly from those already holding elected positions, and we need to push back on that.”
“Farmers are in the business of food production. They want to stay in that business and they should be supported in obtaining fair prices for their produce.
“Instead they find themselves pushed into providing services to the State and other sectors for undefined ‘rewards’ and it just isn’t good enough.”
Punch, having served as secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association for the past 25 years, is adamant that membership of the EU still has lots of positives for Irish farming but without MEPS who can understand how the issues affect people on the ground and use their vote accordingly, it is hard to see how the current trend can possibly change.
John Hourigan, chair of the Carbon Removals Action Group said:
“It’s maddening. The structure of the inventories and the figures in them are wrong. We know they are wrong. The government knows they are wrong.
“We have policies justified by those wrong figures, like the Nature Restoration, with zero acknowledgement or correction.
“That’s why I’m delighted to support Eddie Punch because we need people now who have both the knowledge and the will to set some of these issues right.”
Farmer frustration is at an all-time high, particularly in the Ireland South constituency where many smaller family farms are under constant threat.
Many farmers report feeling completely ignored by those elected, ostensibly to serve their interests but instead seem intent on following where the pre-determined government policy and environmental NGOs lead.
“Elected doesn’t necessarily mean engaged. I’ve probably sat on more agriculture committee meetings than many of the MEPs who were elected in 2019.
“Since 2019, we’ve had MEPs throw in the towel on nitrates derogation, the gradual erosion of the CAP, farmers getting a totally unfair share of the blame for climate change and most recently, they supported a Nature Restoration regulation based on completely inaccurate figures on our peatlands.
“Despite the recent correction to the inventory figures which has gone largely unnoticed, our government have announced that they will drive on to implement Nature Restoration regardless.
Bad and all as these might be, we as farmers have to ask ourselves what we think might be coming in the next 5 years. And who we want voting for us when those challenges arise.”
Clare farmer and former ICMSA livestock chair, Martin McMahon, was in strong agreement:
“If you keep voting in the same politicians and expect a different result, don’t be surprised if you get more of the same. If you want better representation vote Eddie Punch.”
