On the eve of a major farmers' rally in Dublin, a group of 10 farmers yesterday occupied the Dublin offices of the European Commission in protest over its handling of the agriculture elements of world trade talks.
The action, by members of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), began as another protest on the same issue by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) was finishing up at the British embassy in Ballsbridge.
The farm organisations are protesting at the agricultural concessions being offered by EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson in the run-up to the resumption of talks in Hong Kong in December. Thousands of IFA members are expected in Dublin today, where the European Commission's office will be the focus of protests which begin at 11am.
The protesters then plan to march with farm machinery from Molesworth Street via Kildare Street, to hold a short meeting at the office of the Taoiseach. Some traffic disruption is expected.
A spokesman for the farmers occupying the EU offices said they were attempting to demonstrate their frustration and fear of what could happen to their livelihoods should Mr Mandelson's proposals be accepted by the World Trade Organisation.
He has offered major concessions to the US which would amount to cuts of up to 60 per cent in EU tariffs on food imports, a move ICSA president Malcolm Thompson said would make farming in the EU unviable.
"Peter Mandelson's proposals threaten to undermine European food security, and are ill-conceived and unworkable," said Mr Thompson, at yesterday's protest outside the British embassy.
"He is clearly hellbent on exceeding his mandate, is evidently willing to sell out agriculture in order to get a deal and he is protected from accountability by the blatant UK manipulation of their term of office of the presidency of the EU," he said.
Mr Thompson alleged the WTO negotiations were being kept off the agenda of all meetings of the agriculture ministers since the summer.