On the day when the farming community brought their issues onto the streets of the county, Mayo Fine Gael TD, John O’Mahony, criticised the Fianna Fáil/Green Programme for Government for its failure to pay any attention to the needs of farmers.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it, that fur farming became more of an issue than the streamline farming which is at the root of our society. Despite the fact that traditional farming is dying on its feet with jobs being lost every week directly and indirectly there is not one line in the Programme for Government dealing with this vital issue,” he said.
Dep O’Mahony said the policies of the Fianna Fáil/Green Government lay at the heart of the reason why farmers felt there was little alternative but to bring their concerns onto the streets. “Farmers feel they are being let down; that their contribution to society is totally undervalued. It’s hard to disagree with them when you analyse what’s happened and the REPS 4 decision was symptomatic of what has been happening.
“Farmers are going to the wall here in Mayo and there’s a feeling within the sector that they can’t take any more. I have already made my feelings known in relation to the performance of our Government TDs, when they highlight the needs of the farmers yet vote for policies that create the problems. They were at it again last week. Farmers need to be protected and policies need to be put in place to help the industry prosper, not simply die on its feet,” he said.
