Mayo farmers planning protest at next month's council meeting
The IFA tractorcade makes its way through Castlebar earlier this month. Picture: Frank Dolan
Farmers are planning to protest at next month’s meeting of Mayo County Council as part of an ongoing campaign to highlight various issues.
Mayo IFA county chair Jarlath Walsh said the environmental and production schemes are not rewarding farmers enough and they will continue to apply pressure to have their “plight recognised”.
“We will be taking some form of action at the March meeting of Mayo County Council,” he added.
Mr Walsh, a dairy farmer from Knock, insisted the current farm schemes are unworkable and they are being implemented without the necessary consultation.
“We need a change of approach and we need the Government to collaborate more with the farming organisations and the IFA in designing the schemes,” he added.
There are a total of 5,723 farmers signed up to ACRES schemes, most of whom have been paid or are due to be paid a flat payment of €4,000, with 2,837 of those on the Co-operation Project (CP).
Mr Walsh said when the administrators are finished assessing the schemes the payments will be rounded up or down.
“It is the Co-Operation payment that has been held up the most."
He said over 60 farmers drove tractors during the protest in Castlebar on February 1 and another similar demonstration will likely happen soon.
“It showed that farmers have it up to the teeth with the way the schemes are being administered, the late payments, the cheap food policy and the environment side is not adequate so we are being left short,” he added.
