Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness has criticised the Government’s failure to act on behalf of hill sheep farmers in the Knockmealdown Mountains, following what he described as a wholly inadequate response from the Minister for Agriculture in the Dáil.
Deputy McGuinness said he raised the issue directly with the Minister, highlighting the severe pressure farmers are under due to excessive rent increases and the withholding of vital farm payments.
Deputy McGuinness said:
“I raised this directly on the floor of the Dáil with the Minister for Agriculture. The response I received was wholly inadequate and confirms that the Government is taking a hands off approach that effectively sides with the landlord in this dispute.
“These farmers are facing rent increases of up to 900 percent. At the same time, they are being denied access to their farm payments because they cannot produce a commonage evidence letter while the dispute is ongoing. That leaves them trapped, under pressure, and with their livelihoods at risk.
“This has echoes of darker times when absentee landlords pushed Irish farmers off the land. That is a comparison that should deeply concern this Government.
“The Minister’s response boiled down to a narrow technical definition of ‘active farmer’ and a hope that the issue resolves itself. That is not good enough. These are real families who rely on those payments to survive and to continue farming.
“The State cannot claim neutrality while enforcing rules that have the effect of holding farmers over a barrel. If the Department is to be neutral, it must be fully neutral and ensure that farmers are not financially penalised due to disputes outside their control.
“This is about the future of hill farming and rural communities in places like the Knockmealdowns. Once this way of life is lost, it cannot simply be restored.
“The Minister must now intervene. He must ensure that no farmer loses their payments because of documentation issues arising from an ongoing dispute, and he must engage to support a fair and sustainable outcome for those farming these lands.”
ENDS
Conor D. McGuinness TD 