If there was ever a time for farmers to, as they say, ‘live in the moment’ perhaps now is it?
With the sun finally shining, grass and crop growth in good shape, the silage season in full flow, lamb prices still over €7/kg, beef prices over €4/kg, and dairy farmers demanding over 37c/L for May milk, farmers might be forgiven for feeling good about life right now.
“It’s all badly needed,” one farmer said to me last weekend and there is no doubting he’s right.
Unfortunately, despite the good vibes in farming right now, if one takes a moment to look towards the sector’s future — dark clouds are starting to dominate.
As we report on page two, Irish agriculture faces major challenges living up to the commitments contained in the Government’s Climate Bill. While there is broad consensus within Dáil Éireann on the merit of the new laws, I get the sense that farmers aren’t fully aware yet of what it means for them.
Farmers deserve clear answers and fast about what the future holds for their businesses. Should restrictions be placed on how and what they farm, adequate compensation and support must be provided.
And it cannot be just another exercise in moving money around, as can be seen with the CAP currently. The results of a consumer survey in the UK in recent weeks were interesting — 55pc agreed food should be produced to a low carbon footprint, while almost 40pc said they always buy the cheapest option in the supermarket.
Politicians and consumers cannot continue to demand more and pay less. Farmers and particularly young farmers, won’t put up with it.
Farming’s climate challenge is not the only dark cloud hovering over the sector. The increasingly fractious debate over CAP, pitting one farmer against another, is a terrible shame and the blame lies solely at the feet of politicians and bureaucrats.
No one should take any satisfaction — as it seems some are — from taking money out of the pockets of one genuine farmer and putting it into the pocket of another. As Leo Varadkar remarked last week, there will be losers in the next CAP and it won’t be just sheikhs and beef barons.
Bringing fairness to farm payments is vital — but those pretending it’s a black and white issue do all farmers a disservice. A fractured farming community is a weaker one.
