I read a piece recently concerning Irish farming and the struggle Irish farmers now face, and I couldn’t help but be moved by what was said.
What some fail to see is beef farmers are fighting for a fair price – a fair price for a quality meat produced with passion and love, because without these qualities you wouldn’t have a good side of beef.
It is easy for all the cartels to sell meat cheaply in supermarkets and outlets – most of it is produced in feedlots all over Europe, not just Ireland. On these feedlots, cattle are fed on all sorts, certainly not grass-fed as Irish beef has become renowned for.
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I have been lucky to travel quite a bit and I’m always delighted to see local people eat food that has been produced on their doorstep. Countless scientific reports and studies show that eating food prepared and sourced closer to home is better for us – as well as being more ethical, green and beneficial both local and wide.
Most farmers in Ireland are small and wish to stay that way – now we are being pushed and bullied from our own land. We fought for many years to have a free country, to work our own land and not be tenant farmers any more, but we are slowly being forced off our own land; land that was passed down and preserved for generations.
I ask every person to please understand that beef farmers just want what is rightfully ours. A fair price for a quality product.
Unconsciously, beef farmers are fighting for rural Ireland and for the freedom that our forefathers fought and died for.
People of Ireland, I urge you to stand beside us, behind beef farmers and claim back Ireland. Help us defend our livelihood, otherwise I fear we will have a countryside dotted with factory farms and little else.
Think about the passion, dedication and love that Irish farmers put into what they produce. I know because I am a beef farmer and I love farming. Please don’t let the small man or woman be pushed out.
So, to everyone from a non-farming background: please read this and perhaps try to understand why we beef farmers are fighting. Help us fight for rural Ireland, protect our livelihoods and life as we know it.
Mary Lawlor
Co Laois
Government taskforce could help to revive rural Ireland
This Government is too Dublin-focused, while the majority of farmers feel there’s no political will to represent them at Dáil level.
With the closures of post offices, pubs, Garda stations and the daily chaos in our hospitals, many families in rural Ireland see their sons and daughters moving to the capital to take up jobs. Some commute long distances to access work and we need a more balanced spread of multinational companies across all of Ireland, not just in Dublin.
I am calling on this Government to establish a regional employment taskforce, to include local authorities and Government employment agencies, which we need to save rural Ireland from extinction.
Noel Harrington
Kinsale, Co Cork
Not all pensioners are poor and vulnerable, Willie
Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea is off again grey-vote-seeking, with his annual €5 increase for the “most vulnerable people in the country”.
Willie, not all pensioners are poor. Many have better finances and free schemes that easily outweigh other hard-working PAYE workers with children to rear and mortgages to pay.
Please try to do a bit of advance research into this matter next year, Willie.
Des McCormack
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Will Adams sue media over IRA membership allegations?
The assertion aired in ‘Spotlight’ on BBC Northern Ireland on September 17, and covered by most major Irish and British newspapers, that Gerry Adams was a senior member of the IRA, will give grounds to multiple defamation lawsuits against various Irish and British media outlets.
A defamation action of this nature involving a public figure like Mr Adams would attract potentially the largest ever compensation awards in Irish and British legal history.
If no legal actions are initiated, and a member of the Dáil does not attempt to protect his reputation after such allegations, what conclusions can we draw?
Leo E Sharkey
Bratislava, Slovakia
Leaving Cert appeal success shines light on adjudicators
When 23pc of appeals to the higher level maths results in the Leaving Cert are successful, is it not time to scrutinise the abilities of the original exam adjudicators, and make drastic changes to personnel before next year?
Robert Sullivan
Bantry, Co Cork
Source: Read Full Article
Home » Analysis & Comment » Letters to the Editor: 'Stand by us beef farmers in our fight for a fair price'
Letters to the Editor: 'Stand by us beef farmers in our fight for a fair price'
I read a piece recently concerning Irish farming and the struggle Irish farmers now face, and I couldn’t help but be moved by what was said.
What some fail to see is beef farmers are fighting for a fair price – a fair price for a quality meat produced with passion and love, because without these qualities you wouldn’t have a good side of beef.
It is easy for all the cartels to sell meat cheaply in supermarkets and outlets – most of it is produced in feedlots all over Europe, not just Ireland. On these feedlots, cattle are fed on all sorts, certainly not grass-fed as Irish beef has become renowned for.
Please log in or register with Independent.ie for free access to this article.
Log In
New to Independent.ie? Create an account
I have been lucky to travel quite a bit and I’m always delighted to see local people eat food that has been produced on their doorstep. Countless scientific reports and studies show that eating food prepared and sourced closer to home is better for us – as well as being more ethical, green and beneficial both local and wide.
Most farmers in Ireland are small and wish to stay that way – now we are being pushed and bullied from our own land. We fought for many years to have a free country, to work our own land and not be tenant farmers any more, but we are slowly being forced off our own land; land that was passed down and preserved for generations.
I ask every person to please understand that beef farmers just want what is rightfully ours. A fair price for a quality product.
Unconsciously, beef farmers are fighting for rural Ireland and for the freedom that our forefathers fought and died for.
People of Ireland, I urge you to stand beside us, behind beef farmers and claim back Ireland. Help us defend our livelihood, otherwise I fear we will have a countryside dotted with factory farms and little else.
Think about the passion, dedication and love that Irish farmers put into what they produce. I know because I am a beef farmer and I love farming. Please don’t let the small man or woman be pushed out.
So, to everyone from a non-farming background: please read this and perhaps try to understand why we beef farmers are fighting. Help us fight for rural Ireland, protect our livelihoods and life as we know it.
Mary Lawlor
Co Laois
Government taskforce could help to revive rural Ireland
This Government is too Dublin-focused, while the majority of farmers feel there’s no political will to represent them at Dáil level.
With the closures of post offices, pubs, Garda stations and the daily chaos in our hospitals, many families in rural Ireland see their sons and daughters moving to the capital to take up jobs. Some commute long distances to access work and we need a more balanced spread of multinational companies across all of Ireland, not just in Dublin.
I am calling on this Government to establish a regional employment taskforce, to include local authorities and Government employment agencies, which we need to save rural Ireland from extinction.
Noel Harrington
Kinsale, Co Cork
Not all pensioners are poor and vulnerable, Willie
Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea is off again grey-vote-seeking, with his annual €5 increase for the “most vulnerable people in the country”.
Willie, not all pensioners are poor. Many have better finances and free schemes that easily outweigh other hard-working PAYE workers with children to rear and mortgages to pay.
Please try to do a bit of advance research into this matter next year, Willie.
Des McCormack
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Will Adams sue media over IRA membership allegations?
The assertion aired in ‘Spotlight’ on BBC Northern Ireland on September 17, and covered by most major Irish and British newspapers, that Gerry Adams was a senior member of the IRA, will give grounds to multiple defamation lawsuits against various Irish and British media outlets.
A defamation action of this nature involving a public figure like Mr Adams would attract potentially the largest ever compensation awards in Irish and British legal history.
If no legal actions are initiated, and a member of the Dáil does not attempt to protect his reputation after such allegations, what conclusions can we draw?
Leo E Sharkey
Bratislava, Slovakia
Leaving Cert appeal success shines light on adjudicators
When 23pc of appeals to the higher level maths results in the Leaving Cert are successful, is it not time to scrutinise the abilities of the original exam adjudicators, and make drastic changes to personnel before next year?
Robert Sullivan
Bantry, Co Cork
Source: Read Full Article