The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) will support Irish farmers and agricultural contractors in their show of solidarity with their European counterparts.
The executive council of the FCI voted by a majority to support Irish farmers and agri-contractors this evening (Thursday, February 1), at venues across the country.
The FCI’s executive council also voted for FCI members to “provide support”, if requested, to local farming groups.
In taking this decision, the FCI said its members are providing solidarity with the Irish farming sector as a whole and “not any single one farming representative body”.
Commenting on the FCI’s decision to support Irish farmers and agri-contractors in their show of solidarity today, the association’s national chair, John Hughes said:
“The message of solidarity from FCI is to show Irish farmers that our agricultural contractor members are equally concerned about the regulation and cost issues that affect our farming clients.
“All of these issues are impacting even more heavily on the sustainability of many agricultural contractor businesses in Ireland in terms of increased machinery and business costs, skilled operator retention.
“And the impact that the regulatory changes are having on the health and safety of our operators in working their machines to their optimum, across thousands [of] Irish farms.”
The FCI’s European counterpart is the European Organisation of Agricultural, Rural and Forestry Contractors (CEETTAR).
Show of solidarity
Farmers across the country are planning to take part in a show of “solidarity” this evening with their EU counterparts who are also protesting in Brussles.
Farmers have been protesting in recent weeks over the prices they are paid, EU regulations, fuel prices and cheap food imports. They are also calling for an end to the EU-Mercosur deal.
Over 1,000 tractors have blocked streets in Brussels as an emergency summit was being held in the European Parliament where leaders agreed to allocate another €50 billion to Ukraine.
Earlier this week over 20 farmers gathered with their tractors in Co. Waterford in “a show of solidarity” with ongoing protests by farmers across Europe.