Laois IFA delegates take General Election promises with 'pinch of salt'

Laois farmers who were at the Irish Farm Centre to meet the leaders of the big three political parties gave a cautious welcome to some of the General Election campaign commitments made at IFA HQ last week.

There was a significant Laois contingent present alongside IFA President and Ballinakill man Francie Gorman to hear from Simon Harris, Micheál Martin and Mary Lou McDonald. The leaders of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin leaders were flanked by their farming spokespeople when they addressed and fielded questions from farmers from Laois and across Ireland.

Laois IFA men included Declan Harahan, IFA Livestock Chair, Kieran McEvoy, Grain Committee Chair, John Fitzpatrick, Organic Committee Chair and Henry Burns, Laois IFA county Chair.

Mr Fitzpatrick, who is also Laois IFA PRO, spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

He welcomed their attendance and said all were informed on the key issues. He added that all three treated the day 'very seriously'.

He said all three leaders agreed with the IFA campaign to retain Ireland's derogation from the EU Nitrates Directive.

He said there were differences in relation to Mercusor on Brazilian beef imports to the EU.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the FF and FG leaders said they would not agree to it in its present state while Sinn Féin said they would not agree with it at all.

He said a trend in many of the commitments made was that the parties were going to deliver on issues that the IFA have already lobbied to have delivered upon. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

IFA members at the Irish Farm Centre.

The Laois PRO said farmers welcomed the pledges but added that all promises had been received with “a pinch of salt”. H also said that the IFA would hold, whoever makes it into power, to account for pledges made at the event.

Mr Fitzpatrick said the IFA have identifed their key asks of farms. However, he highlighted the streamlining the growing multitude of increasingly complicated farm payment schemes as among the key issues. He claimed that it has got to a stage that the Department of Agriculture IT systems have not coped. Mr Fitzpatrick reserved his biggest ire for the Acres scheme calling it a 'complete disaster'. 

Meanwhile, Laois General Election hopefuls will have to brush up on the issues facing farmers around the county for a Laois IFA hostings in Portlaoise this week.

Laois IFA PRO John Fitzpatrick says the County Committee has organised a meeting for General Election candidates to discuss issues relevant to farmers around the county.

Items on IFA's General election Manifesto will be highlighted to the politicians who want to represent Laois in the Dáil at the meeting on Wednesday, November 20 at 8.30 pm in the Killeshin Hotel on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise.