McConalogue: farmers ‘have right to protest’

Westmeath farmers “have a right to protest” but must do so within the realms of the law, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has warned.

It follows an incident on February 2 when around 100 protesters surrounded the Athlone Springs Hotel while the Minister was inside and refused to leave – before being moved on by gardaí.

The same day Westmeath IFA held a demonstration in Mullingar, driving 30 tractors through the town in solidarity with farmers throughout Europe protesting against EU regulation and red tape in the sector.

Gardaí were also called to a Fine Gael meeting at Mullingar Park Hotel on February 15, which was cut short after around 60 farmers had gathered outside.

At the launch of a new water quality initiative in Dysart last Thursday (February 7), Minister McConalogue said he was “not worried” about the rise of farming protests in the county.

“Everyone has a right to protest and make their voices heard, and that’s really important,” he told the Westmeath Examiner.

“I have no problem [with protesting tactics used], as long as people do it legally, they have the right to protest.

“My job is to make sure we back farmers and give them income and respect the massive work they do for the wider economy.”

The Fianna Fáil Minister said he engages “massively” with farmers throughout Ireland “on every and any opportunity”.

“Even the night in Athlone when there was a protest; I had spent the previous two hours speaking to 200 farmers answering every question put to me.

“This is what we do at national level, we listen and we also invest – farming and agriculture is the biggest natural industry we have and we want to keep it that way.”

The minister said his government has put “money where its mouth is” for farmers, pointing to the 50,000 of whom now supported by the €1.5bn ACRES scheme and the introduction of a €200/suckler cow payment.

Also in Dysart was Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, who said he “absolutely” respects farmers’ rights to protest.

“I was expecting to meet an IFA delegation up in Cavan last week but the snow kept them away,” he told the Examiner.

“My door is always open to farmer organisations and farmers – I’m out on farms regularly in my work.

“Everyone has the right to go out and protest about genuine concerns for the future they may have.”

The Green Party minister acknowledged that there is cause for concern in the agricultural sector.

“There are genuine fears out there for the future of farming in this country in terms of produce prices and other uncertainties,” he said.

“I think protesting is a legitimate way of highlighting their concerns.

"The critical thing is we are investing in farming and we want to see a future where this industry can thrive.

“The funding we are putting in place gives farmers the consistency and it gives them long-term certainty to do that.”

Minister of State Pippa Hackett said Irish farmers have the backing of government. “I don’t think anyone can doubt the commitment the government has for farming,” she said.

“We have a 50% increase on the [organic farming] budget than we have in previous years, so money is going there.”

An IFA protest was also held outside County Buildings in Mullingar on February 26 ahead of a council meeting, where members voiced their concerns to local public representatives about the future of the sector.

It is estimated that agriculture in Westmeath contributes €1bn to the local economy annually.