Aontú has today (Thursday, November 14) launched its agricultural policy in which the party has pledged subsidies to help farmers cope with the cost of farm fertiliser.
The party, in its manifesto on agriculture, also promises to provide strong opposition to the attempts to cull the herd, ban turf, and to the Nature Restoration Law.
Aontú is also calling for an increase in funding under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and for active farmland to be categorically excluded from the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT).
Speaking at the document launch, party leader Peadar Tóibín TD said: “Farming is in crisis in Ireland. We don’t make that statement lightly.
“A new report by Teagasc confirms income levels across farms fell in 2023. Dairy incomes dropped 69% compared in 2023. Tillage farm income fell 71% last year. The average income for cattle farms fell by 14% last year to €12,600. Sheep farm incomes fell 22% to just €12,500 last year.
“Across all farm types the average income has dropped by 57% in 2023 to just under €20,000. These are massive falls. All of this before we even mention the massive increase in input costs in farming in those last few years.
“As a result of income falls every year farmers are leaving the sector. If this were to happen in any other sector, it would be front page news and it would dominate the Dáil debates. It shows beyond a doubt that farming is no longer a sustainable livelihood for most families,” Tóibín added.
The Aontú leader said that according to Teagasc, one third of farmers are making a loss with many going into debt and many of them in poverty.
Tóibín said that the data shows that one-tird of farmers are only making a living because someone in the family is working off the farm to supplement the income of the farm and that only a third of farmers currently are actually making a living from farming.
“That’s an incredible situation. One of the most important sectors in society, the sector that produces our food and the sector that’s the backbone of our rural community is collapsing,” Tóibín continued.
“Even if you had no interest in farming families or rural Ireland, this is a very serious issue. If there are no farmers, there is no food and as a result there is no future.
“Food security has increased in importance in the last few years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine shut down so many supply chains leading to products not being available but also to significant inflation.
“Covid-19 too shut down so many supply chains and created enormous product inflation. Food security necessitates a viable farming sector,” he added.
Aontú pledges on agri-food
Aontú has also said that it will reform the food market.
“You might think that there is no money in food. But this is not the case. Food production is a multibillion-euro industry. It’s a highly profitable industry,” Tóibín continued.
“There are three elements in the food supply chain – farmers, food processors and supermarkets. Farmers do by far the most work but they receive the least mount of profit.
“Food processors on the other hand are very profitable. Supermarkets are also raking in profits. The truth is the food market in Ireland operates as an oligopoly,” he added.
Aontú has pledged to create a strong competition authority which would be responsible for reducing the buyer power of food processors and supermarkets.
Over time, the authority would have the objective of increasing the number of food processors within the market to ensure proper competition for farm produce.
Mercosur
The EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement was drawn up to increase volumes of trade for the EU and countries in South America.
Under the deal, it would allow the Mercosur countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay to export an additional 99,000t of beef, tariff free to the EU.
In its election manifesto, Aontú also stated that it opposes the Mercosur Trade Deal and any potential culling of the national herd.
Aontú has also stated that it opposes the Green Party’s “attacks” on farming and rural Ireland, adding that it was the only political party to oppose the Climate Action Bill in the Dáil.
Other issues raised by the party in its manifesto are its opposition to the banning on turf sales in what it has described as a “cost of fuel crisis”.
The party said if elected into government it would seek to increase support to farmers to €300 per suckler cow and €37 per ewe under schemes such as Suckler Carbon Efficiency Scheme (SCEP).
Aontú says it would also seek a Tillage Survival Scheme payment of €250/ha and a Tillage Expansion Scheme of €400/ha to be paid on land converted into tillage in year one.
Other elements of Aontú’s manifesto call for CAP funding to be increased and used to support farmers, food production and food security and EU environment actions to be financed through a separate fund.