Farmers 'meat in the middle' of Agriculture row

Farmers are the "meat in the middle" of the ongoing dispute between the Department of Agriculture and the Civil and Public Services…

Farmers are the "meat in the middle" of the ongoing dispute between the Department of Agriculture and the Civil and Public Services Union, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) said today.

About 25 farmers met with officials at the Department of Agriculture in Dublin this afternoon but an IFA spokesman said it was "unsatisfactory".

The farmers, from the Galway and Mayo area, met with the officials to protest against the delay in the issuing of ID cards and movement permits for cattle.

According to the IFA, "there should be a contingency plan in place to facilitate farmers", who are losing income due to being unable to move their cattle for fattening as they would normally at this time of year.

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The Department of Agriculture said the list of the farmers grievances is being passed onto the CPSU "for their consideration". They added that the correct protocols for dealing with an industrial dispute were being followed.

The CPSU laid the responsibility for the farmers difficulties firmly at the feet of the Department of Agriculture. A spokesperson from the union said the decision of the Department to take some of its members off the pay-roll five weeks ago, was "absurd and illogical", and meant that what had been a "reduced service" for farmers in that area had turned into "no service at all".

The CPSU is scheduled to meet with the Department of Agriculture next Tuesday.