Members of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), who are protesting at the headquarters of the Department of Agriculture in Dublin city, are set to up the ante this morning, July 10, with the arrival of a combine harvester.

Four members of the IFA Grain Committee – Liam Dunne from Co. Kildare, who is the chairman of the committee; James Hill from Co. Wicklow; Peter Lynch from Co. Donegal; and Kieran McEvoy from Co. Laois – have made the department building their home since Wednesday, July 5.

IFA

(L-R): Peter Lynch, Kieran McEvoy, Liam Dunne and James Hill at the Department of Agriculture offices in Kildare Street.

The harvester is expected to be parked adjacent to the building; it is believed An Garda Siochana were consulted before the decision was made to transport the machine to Dublin city centre.

This will not be the only piece of machinery drafted in as part of the protest; a tractor and tanker – filled with water – is currently parked outside the building.

IFA protesters were asked to organise the tractor and tanker combination by the Gardai and Fire Prevention Officers from Dublin City Fire Brigade in the event any of the straw bales outside the building were set alight.

It is also rumoured that other machinery could arrive if the IFA and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, cannot come to an agreement.

Protest

The grain committee members are protesting over reports that payments under a proposed tillage crisis fund would be capped at a maximum of €5,000 per farmer.

However, the IFA had been under the impression that payments would be capped at €15,000 per farmer – the maximum allowed under EU regulations.

This fund would support farmers who suffered significant crop losses last year; it is expected that they would have to prove a minimum crop loss of at least 30% to qualify for the proposed scheme.

The department has recently said that details of such a scheme have yet to be finalised and published.