The campaign led by the Hill Farmers for Action Group is set to continue with another meeting organised for Monday 15 September in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry, at 8.30pm. At the same time their picket remains outside the Taoiseach’s office.

The move to hold a third meeting came after an estimated crowd of 800 farmers attended a meeting about issues with the proposed GLAS scheme, mainly the collective agreement, in Letterkenny last week.

Previously the group had looked for support from other farming organisations. However, it is becoming clear that the group will continue to support Hill and Commonage farmers on their own.

The chairman on the night, Henry O’Donnell, said: “We now have a strong mandate to stand for hill and commonage farmers.’’ He urged the crowd to keep pressure on their local representatives, especially those in power.

Spokesman for Hill Farmers for Action Colm O’Donnell told the crowd that pressure from hill farmers has resulted in changes. He added: “The first half is over, but this is a game of two halves.’’

The win he was referring to in the first half was the move by the Department of Agriculture to implement a minimum stocking rate as the means for a hill farmer to qualify for the new SPS and DAS schemes.

This came about after increased pressure from hill farmers and the IFA on the matter.

O’Donnell vowed to continue the campaign until the collective agreement is abolished. He said: “We won’t back off, we have a picket outside the Taoiseach’s office; long after GLAS is gone, the collective agreement will remain’’. Brendan Joyce said: “With 1,700 in Westport, and 800 tonight, support is growing. If there is a Minister that thinks he can overlook people on the hills then he is damn well asleep.’’

The Minister for Agriculture came under repeated attack by the crowd for not listening to hill farmers, as did the IFA at national level.

MEP Marian Harkin told the crowd she is organising a meeting in Brussels on the “unworkable requirements for participation in the GLAS Plus Scheme’’.

However, she emphasised that the proposals which were sent to Brussels can still be amended by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney.

She hinted that the quickest and easiest solution lies at home through the minister amending the proposals prior to their approval.