A Warning that 50,000 jobs will be lost in agriculture within five years as a result of the Government's inaction and indifference over the collapse in farm incomes was given yesterday by the Irish Farmers' Association president, Mr Tom Parlon.
He was addressing one of the largest demonstrations seen in Dublin for many years, in which an estimated 40,000 farmers and family members marched from Phoenix Park to Merrion Square in Dublin.
All the main farming organisations took part in the demonstration, which passed off peacefully but caused major traffic disruption in the centre of the city for more than six hours.
In a highly emotional speech, Mr Parlon said 40,000 people were demanding an end to discrimination against low-income farm families and the extension of the Family Income Supplement to them.
He threatened to pull his organisation out of the Partnership 2000 Agreement if the concession was not granted and unless farm families were treated with equity and equality.
He said the Government's response to date had been paltry and was an insult to the farming community which, through the IFA, had protested in Brussels and Dublin and secured a special EU intervention scheme for 100,000 cattle this autumn.
"The meat factories are a law unto themselves," he said. "Joe Walsh is unable to control them. The IFA opened the door on intervention, but yesterday's intervention tender of less than 4,000 tonnes was a deliberate effort by the factories to hold down prices at farmers' expense."
Mr Parlon said Irish beef factories were undercutting each other in European and third country markets, and an end had to be put to what he termed this "madness".
He said that 30 years ago farmers had taken to the streets of Dublin and now they were back again demanding action because the Government was guilty of neglect of the industry. Agriculture was on its knees, and the Government had done nothing to help.
"Joe Walsh has not delivered at the Cabinet table, but the problem is bigger than him. Minister Dermot Ahern has done nothing to help low-income families on the breadline this winter. Charlie McCreevy has done nothing. But he has money for everyone except farm families.
"The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, presides over this. Taoiseach, there are 150,000 farm families telling you today: wake up to the alienation of rural Ireland," said Mr Parlon.
"I warn the Government today that if they continue on the present path of inaction and indifference, 50,000 farm jobs will be lost in the income collapse in agriculture within five years. The livelihoods of thousands of farmers will be destroyed," he added.
Mr Parlon also criticised the "hypocrisy of the political lip service to rural development". No amount of so-called rural development could make good the damage being done to agriculture.
CAP reform, he said, had been a deception. Consumer prices had not fallen and farmers' prices had collapsed, leaving the middlemen raking off the benefits. Only 30p of the consumer's pound was now passed back to farmers.
Supermarkets had taken control of processors and farmers, and he was fed up with the relentless demands of supermarkets which increased pork prices this year when pig prices were falling at the rate of 4p per kilo per week.
"I am telling the supermarkets today that farmers have been pushed too far. IFA will expose your double standards. Farmers are entitled to a minimum of 50 per cent of the price of basic foodstuffs," he said.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association president, Mr Frank Allen, pledged solidarity with the IFA in defence of farm families and likened the march with those held by Michael Davitt and Daniel O'Connell.
He said the Government had failed, and failed utterly, to help farmers in their hour of need, and he condemned it for its inaction to date. The time for promises was over and farmers were demanding action and justice now.
Farmers were marching because they had seen a very weak Government commitment to dealing with the immediate crisis, and seemingly no commitment at all to investing in a long-term development plan for the survival of a vibrant farming sector.
He said the Government had refused to honour a pre-election promise on farm investment and continued to discriminate against low-income families by denying them access to family income support.
Mr Michael O'Dwyer, president of ICOS, the Irish co-operative movement, said the Government had not done enough to help farmers, who were vital to the national economy. He said the crisis was not just hitting farmers alone but had serious implications for the co-operative sector, which depended on a vibrant and healthy supplier base to survive.
Mr Tommy McGuire, the president of Macra na Feirme, the young farmers' organisation, said there was no farmer or Minister from the west of Ireland among the 15 Cabinet members.
This was one of the reasons that the Cabinet was out of touch with the seriousness of the current situation and could find only £10 million for the fodder package although the Government had an £800 million surplus.
Young people were turning their backs on farming because there appeared to be no future in an industry which was not being supported by the Government.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, last night defended his actions over the past few months and outlined the measures he had taken to help the various sectors.
These included a total pay-out of £850 million in direct payments so far this year, including £233 million in the past two weeks and the introduction of the special intervention scheme.
Additional facilities had been laid on for live exports to EU markets, and 7,000 weanlings were being exported weekly. Top-up headage payments had been made to sheep farmers, and the ewe premiums paid earlier than normal.
He said he had arranged substantial increases in export refunds for pig-meat and a 70,000 tonne storage system had been put in place. In addition, a £20 million package had been created to help those with fodder difficulties.
He said he and his Government colleagues appreciated the situation facing Irish farmers, he was tackling the difficulties across a number of fronts, and an impressive range of action was being taken.
He said he would continue to do whatever possible to ensure that the supports available were fully and effectively used by the industry for the immediate and direct benefit of those farmers who needed the most help at this time.
His statement said that at present more than 7,000 farmers were in receipt of Smallholder's Assistance worth £33 million annually, and the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs would intensify its information initiatives at local level to increase awareness of the scheme and to emphasise its relevance to farming families.
"In this context, due account will be taken of the difficult income situation on certain farms arising from weather and market-related conditions," his statement concluded.