MEP Chris McManus has said that Ireland needs “a change of government, not just a change of Taoiseach, to ensure the future survival” of farm families in rural communities.
He was speaking ahead of a Sinn Féin public meeting on supporting Irish family farmers, which is set to take place in Cootehill, Co. Cavan on Monday, March 6.
McManus said he is eager to engage with local farmers and their families, and called on locals to come along.
“This is a time of great difficulty for many of our family farmers and people in rural Ireland, many are tired of being ignored by the state and taken for granted.
“The cosy arrangement between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and their urban-centric view towards rural Ireland has delivered little or nothing for families and rural communities who are crying out for something different,” he added.
McManus said that policy decisions made in Dublin do not factor in the concerns of rural Irish people and added that there “are genuine fears that the future of farming in Ireland will go the way of the US”.
“Family farming was wiped out [in the US] and replaced by large factory farms operated by large private corporations with no regard for rural communities or the environment,” he stated,
Cavan TD Pauline Tully, who will chair the event, echoed these statements and said that “family Farmers are the beating heart of our communities”.
“These public meetings are vital in informing our work at a national level.
“We get to hear first-hand the issues facing our rural communities allowing us to represent those views and find solutions,” she said.
The party’s spokesperson on agriculture Matt Carthy, is also due to speak at the meeting and said it will be an important opportunity to hear from farm families across the surrounding rural communities.
“Many farmers in Co. Cavan and Co. Monaghan are just barely getting by. Between the cost of living crisis, the fallout from Brexit, rising expenses such as fertiliser or insurance, it is a difficult time for many.
“Meetings like this allow us to fully understand the issues facing farmers and hold the current government to account.
“Public meetings are all about grassroots engagement with the people we represent, so I would encourage people to attend this event,” he concluded.