Irish farmers have joined in protests demanding better working conditions and pay, in a display of “solidarity with their EU counterparts”.
Over the past month, farmers across the continent have been staging protests against their governments. Many struggle financially and say their jobs are threatened as food retailers are trying to bring down prices after a period of high inflation.
The protests began in France and have since spread to Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and now Ireland, with all saying that they are not being paid enough, are being choked by taxes and green rules, and face unfair competition from abroad.
In Ireland, hundreds of tractors have taken to the streets to protest. The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) said that agricultural workers feel that they are being “overregulated” and share the same “issues” as farmers from across the channel.
Irish farmers have joined in with demonstrations demanding for better pay and working conditions in the agricultural industry
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Last week, a small group protested outside a conference attended by Agricultural Minister Charlie McConalogue.
Around 50 people gathered outside the Athlone Springs Hotel, County Roscommon, with several tractors stationed on either side of the entrance.
McConalogue has since criticised the demonstrators, who were not affiliated with any of the farming bodies in Ireland.
He said: “They were there to protest against other farmers’ organisations as much as they were there to protest against me. Certainly, they were as much focused on getting social media content as they were getting any key message to say.”
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The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) said that agricultural workers feel that they are being 'overregulated'
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IFA president Francie Gorman said that Irish farmers are “just as frustrated by what is happening as farmers in other countries”.
Agricultural workers feel they are “being regulated out of business by Brussels bureaucrats and Department of Agriculture officials”, according to Gorman.
He said that officials are “far removed from the reality of day-to-day farming”.
It comes as furious Belgian farmers stormed the square outside the European Parliament on February 1, travelling in tractors and wielding firecrackers.
Farmers protested outside of the European Parliament in Brussels over pay and conditions
ReutersThe farmers lit a large bonfire outside the building, ahead of an EU summit which took place later that day. Police wore riot gear at the scene.
Meanwhile, in France, agricultural workers across the country cut off major roads leading into the capital, calling it their “siege of Paris”.
Almost 80 farmers were arrested after storming the Rungis food market, dubbed "the belly of Paris". The region has the largest fresh food market in the world, feeding over 12 million people daily.
The protests appear to be popular among the general public, with seven out of 10 people in France supporting the farmers' plight.