Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Government have been called on to “end their charade with beef farmers” by Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) presidential election candidate Tim Cullinan.
Candidate also urged the Government to make a “clear and unequivocal declaration of intent to address the crisis in rural Ireland and the ongoing turmoil in the beef sector that is having disastrous consequences for thousands of farm families”.
Speaking as protests took place in Dublin this morning, Wednesday, November 27, Cullinan also called on Larry Goodman to unconditionally withdraw all legal injunctions and actions against individual farmers.
“Immediate action by the Taoiseach and the Goodman organisation would be a statement of intent to defuse the confrontation with the farming community that is now spiralling into a stand-off between all the parties involved.
“This crisis has been ongoing for well over a year, with the frustration of farmers evident throughout rural Ireland.
“Farmers are fed up with expedient solutions which simply buys the Minister for Agriculture another week, until the next crisis erupts.
It’s time to stop this charade and get real because no one in Government is taking this seriously.
“The evidence is there; farming is in absolute crisis and there’s nothing being done about it. Farmers are just being strung along while their livelihoods are at stake,” the candidate claimed.
Cullinan added: “I want an absolute commitment from the Government that the Taoiseach, in clearly defined terms, is prepared to honour his commitment recently that he he had farmers’ backs. If he has, back it up.
“It’s time that the Government invested the same time and resources in addressing the challenges facing farmers as they do new business contracts for Larry Goodman and the other major beef factories.
This is the same Larry Goodman who has not yet lifted injunctions on farmers and the same beef barons who are paying €6 million less a week for cattle than is being offered to farmers throughout the EU, Northern Ireland and the UK.
“Government must demand that he withdraws all injunctions in place, regardless of which of his companies they relate to,” Cullinan concluded.