Charlie McConalogue’s tenure as agriculture minister “will be judged on how the government delivers” on key issues as “farmer anger on the ground is building”.

Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan led a delegation to meet Minister McConalogue this morning (Friday, October 15), saying afterwards that the meeting was a “full and frank exchange of views”.

“We left the minister in no doubt about the depth of feeling amongst farmers about the current direction of government policy towards farming,” Cullinan said.

“The minister gave a commitment that he would be coming forward with a budget including national co-financing for CAP Pillar II schemes, including targeted support for suckler, sheep and tillage farmers, within the next week.”

The Minister McConalogue also advised that the government would be announcing Ireland’s carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings shortly.

“These are two massive decisions for the future of Irish farming. Minister McConalogue’s tenure will be judged on how the government delivers on these two issues,” Cullinan continued.

“Our protests last Friday showed that farmer anger on the ground is building.

“The government must take this message onboard. Farmers and the agri-sector are the backbone of the rural economy and we won’t be sacrificed to pacify the Green Party.”

Last week, the IFA held four regional rallies to highlight what it describes as the government’s action in pursuing policies that will decimate Ireland’s largest indigenous sector.

The rallies in Cavan, Roscommon, Portlaoise and Cork were led by Cullinan, who said that the locations signify the scale of the sector across the rural economy.

Cullinan stated: “For the last two years, IFA has tried to engage with government on the sector’s future. Despite this, it continues to treat us as low-hanging fruit that it can target without impunity.

“At the same time, it’s rolling out the red carpet for energy-guzzling multinationals and allowing food, peat, and timber to be imported from less efficient countries in Europe and further afield.”