A new deal for Rural Ireland

Pat Doherty, Pat O'Rawe, Bairbre de Brún and Martin Ferris at the launch of Sinn Féin's manifesto on Agriculture

Sinn Féin this week launched its manifesto on Agriculture and Rural Development, Breaking The Cycle. Vice President Pat Doherty, head of the party's national Agriculture and Rural Development Department, said our agricultural industry and rural communities face many challenges. "CAP reform and the pressures faced by farm families as a result of falling farm incomes are a paramount concern," said Doherty, "and as Sinn Féin is the only all-Ireland party, we are uniquely placed to face these kinds of challenges from a unique perspective.

"We engage with farmers right across this island and are the only political party who have actively engaged on every issue facing farm families. We want to see fair prices for farm produce and a return to genuine cooperativism in the processing sector to increase farmers' return and deliver better value for Irish consumers.

"We will also resolutely oppose any attempts to introduce GM food and crops in Ireland, and want to see a shift away from reliance on bulk production for export towards higher value added production that can boost farm incomes and the value of Irish exports."

Sinn Féin was also the first party in Ireland to argue for full decoupling of all EU farm payments as part of any CAP reform, and while the party remains unhappy with some aspects of the proposals, it still believes that full decoupling is the best available option.

"We believe it will guarantee farm incomes while allowing opportunities to redirect energies towards areas that can generate a higher return," said Doherty. "We are currently engaging with the community to debate the models of decoupling and how the various sectors could be affected. We will then decide - from the responses we receive - on the best model for the farming industry.

"Sinn Féin has a vision for Irish agriculture. Farming on this island needs to share a common agenda that benefits all of our farming industry and all our rural communities."

"At the heart of this is an understanding that being tied to British policy decisions has been bad for local farmers, that being categorised along with the British farming industry has been catastrophic."

Sinn Féin's Southern Spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Martin Ferris, said an all-Ireland approach to CAP reform is the only way to get the best deal for all farming sectors across the island.

"We need all-Ireland representation in Europe and Sinn Féin will deliver this," said Ferris. "Sinn Féin will also commission a rural white paper, with a strong all-Ireland dimension. We are arguing for an all-Ireland Implementation body for agriculture.

"We also believe in one currency for this island and will back the Euro in any future Six-County referendum."

Crucial decisions for farmers ahead

At a packed meeting in Belleek, County Fermanagh, on Thursday 13 November, Sinn Féin reported back to farmers on the party's recent Brussels meeting with members of Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler's Commission on how impending reforms to the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will work out across Ireland.

Councillor Pat O'Rawe, Mayor of Armagh, said the trip was a great success, with complete access to the relevant officials, who were very open and friendly.

"We got a very different picture from the negative spin from governments here on the CAP reforms — and we saw real openings for the future of farming in this country, especially where we can negotiate our position on an all-Ireland basis. We found a real concern for the future of farming here."

O'Rawe said they had impressed on Commissioner Fischler's commission how unhappy farmers in Ireland had been at the methods of delivery of the Rural Development programme. "We warned them that farmers will not put up with the waste of the 'modulated monies' as has happened in the past."

Kerry TD Martin Ferris, who, along with Gerry McHugh, was also on the Brussels delegation, spoke passionately at the meeting of the failure of the London and Dublin governments to safeguard farm incomes over the last 25 years.

"Every five years we lose another rung on the ladder of farmers — first it was the farmers with 10-15 acres, the it was the 20-30 acre farmers and now it is the 50-70 acre farmers who are to be cut off the ladder. We have to stop this from happening. By joining together as one all-Ireland voice," he said, "we can do this".

"The decision on which model will be used in decoupling will affect every single farmer," said Conor Murphy. "It will determine how much money they receive in direct payments from 2005 to 2012. It is vital that together we take the right decisions — that there is a full and adequate consultation amongst all the farmers so that some equity is established between one set of farmers and another.

"We don't intend to let the London or Dublin Governments away with coming to decisions which don't reflect the needs and demands of farmers in this country."