The Irish Farmers' Association IFA Laois branch has called for Electric Picnic to revisit the new date it has chosen for next year's event.
Organisers announced last week that the three-day festival, which takes place in Stradbally, Co Laois, will take place a week earlier in 2024, from 16 to 18 August.
Local tillage farmers have expressed huge concern over the change of date, as it is in the middle of their busiest time with harvest.
In a statement, Laois IFA county chair John Fitzpatrick said: “The Electric Picnic has become a huge event and much hard work has gone in over the years to retain the support of the local community. This changing of the dates came out of the blue and it is going to cause huge problems for local farmers."
The dates, he added, are right in the middle of harvest season and to expect that the harvest and the movement of grain can take place with 70,000 people piling into a small rural town is not realistic.
“It’s a time where there will be lots farm machinery on the roads at the busiest time of the year in one of the busiest tillage areas in the country.
“There needs to be serious dialogue to resolve this issue and everything must be on the table,“ he said.
