Recently, I wrote about Irish farmers demanding that they be given 14 days notice of any inspection by the Dept. of Agriculture.
On today’s Six One News, IFA president, Padraig Walshe, was threatening to make the controversy an election issue if the Government refuses to comply with their demands.
According to Walshe, the dept is ‘over vigorous’ in its enforcement of EU regulations. If the decision was within the power of Irish politicians, there would be no inspections; no Irish politician has ever had the courage to stand up to the powerful farming lobby.
At stake here, however, is an incredible €2 billion in annual EU subsidies to Irish farmers – if the regulations are broken, the money dries up.
Any responsible government would insist that farmers comply with the rules. Incredibly, the Minister for Agriculture is actually going to go whingeing to Brussels to make yet another special case for irresponsible Irish farmers.
The policitians are stumbling over themselves (hiccup) to drive our rural cousins to drink. Can you expect policitians to do any better?
I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at the EU Nitrates Directive but that’s farcical as well.