MORE THAN 1,000 farmers from across the northeast voiced their anger at Budget farming cuts at a packed IFA meeting in the home county of the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, last night.
The meeting at the Errigal Hotel in Cootehill, Co Cavan, was the second of a series of 12 being held nationwide. It was also attended by politicians from across the political spectrum, including Fianna Fáil representatives.
Last night's meeting was addressed by the president of the Irish Farmers Association, Pádraig Walshe. "This is an opportunity for you, the members, to vent your anger at Budget decisions and to send a clear message to the politicians that their decisions must be reversed," he said.
It was claimed that farmers in the Cavan-Monaghan constituency alone were facing an income cut of €6 million as a result of the cuts proposed under the disadvantaged area scheme and the suckler cow scheme.
The meeting was told that cuts to the suckler cow scheme introduced this year and intended to last for five years would result in a payment of €40 a cow being paid for the remaining four years of the scheme rather than the €80 promised by former Minister Mary Coughlan.
IFA regional vice president Joe Brady said: "This is totally unacceptable to our members when many farmers undertook farm pollution-control measures based on the €80 per cow promised."
The 1 per cent levy on farmers was also slammed, while it was also claimed that the Budget represented an income cut for 60,000 farmers nationwide of between 10 per cent to 15 per cent.