Mattie McGrath demands Independent Farmers be included in talks
Mattie McGrath urged inclusion of the Independent Farmers of Ireland in talks on agriculture and the beef market, saying they represent protesters who manned factory gates. He argued the nationally organised and registered group has lost faith in existing organisations and must be approved to join negotiations rather than allowing "business as usual" with established bodies.
Main demand
Mattie McGrath called for the Independent Farmers of Ireland to be allowed representation in ongoing talks, emphasising that they were the people present at recent protests and factory gates and should not be sidelined by established farm lobby groups.
Critique of existing representation
He warned against "the usual suspects" and named MII as among those who should not exclude grassroots representatives, urging that the Independent Farmers group be permitted a voice and have its representative approved for the discussions.
Beef Market Task Force update
Speakers noted that talks of the Beef Market Task Force had resumed, with six farm organisations attending: the IFA, the ICMSA, the ICSA, the Beef Plan, Mocran Affirma and MII. The Minister of Agriculture was acknowledged during the exchange.
Questions over authenticity and representation
A ministerial response recorded that earlier negotiations had included a group calling itself the Independent Farmers of Ireland, but the department received notice that that group was dissolving. Subsequent representations came from two different organisations both claiming the same name, prompting questions about which Independent Farmers body Deputy McGrath sought to represent.
Acknowledgement of ministerial engagement
Mattie McGrath thanked the Minister of Agriculture for engagement and urged that talks must include those who "matter on the ground," reinforcing his demand for broader, grassroots representation in agricultural negotiations.
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Rural Independence, Deputy McGrath, Programme for Government Indeed, the Programme for Government explicitly mentions agriculture and the food sector in its commitments. Minister Cree is here also. The Independent Farmers of Ireland, who were the people who had manned the factory gates during the recent protests, are still up there from the talks. You've already used your suspects, including the non-independent Chairperson of the former Secretary-General of the Parliament, Mr Dowling. Will you please include the Independent Farmers of Ireland? They are the people that were here last week. They represent those. They've lost faith in their organisations. They're nationally organised now and they're a registered group as well. Will you allow the Independent Farmers group, the representatives, to have been approved and their representative into the talks. And please, it can't be business as usual with MII and the usual suspects inside there and excluding the people who matter on the ground. Thank you for your bravery, Minister of Agriculture. Same issue. Sorry, it's leaders. Hold on. No, you'll have to come in again. I have to buy bills. Sorry. It's leaders or the representatives. I don't know who the leader is yet. Minister, perhaps the answer you get may suffice. Thank you, Laskin-Crolde. I'm pleased to say that the talks on the Beef Market Task Force resumed today after an attempt earlier in October to have those meetings. There are six farm organisations in the room. The IFA, the ICMSA, the ICSA, the Beef Plan, Mocran Affirma and MII. So there are six groups representing the Farmers of Ireland. I would ask Deputy McGrann, I do acknowledge the point he's made and he's made it consistently, but when we negotiated in September with the Independent Farmers of Ireland, my department received notification from those negotiators after those talks were concluded, which said that we know the Independent Farmers of Ireland, which said that we know the Independent Farmers of Ireland are dissolving. We have achieved what we set out to achieve. We then have received representations from two different organisations who claim to be the Independent Farmers of Ireland. So I might ask Deputy McGrath, which Independent Farmers of Ireland is he looking for representation for? Name of Ireland is the United States of Ireland. No... No... No... No... No... No... No... No... No... No... No. No... No...
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