The debate over CAP reform could see “blood on the floor” within IFA, Francie Gorman fears. The IFA president made the comment in addressing the Wexford IFA AGM on Monday night.

“In my view, we have got to reward activity,” he said. “Otherwise how would anyone get young farmers into the business. No one would want to come home and farm.

“We need to have an honest discussion within the association around where this money goes and who it supports. I know there may be blood on the floor in the Farm Centre discussing it, but we owe it to our members to have an honest discussion on that.

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“I don’t know what it looks like, but for me, CAP funding should be in the main used to support people who grow the crops, calve cows, lamb ewes or whatever.”

Gorman talked about the dilution of entitlements in successive CAP reforms.

“My entitlements have gone from about €720 down to €350 when this (current) CAP reform is finished.

“Six or seven good cattle are worth as much to me as my basic payment, it’s dwindled to that.”

Inevitably, the Larry Murrin/Bord Bia controversy dominated proceedings. There was a standing ovation for Wicklow farmer Tom Byrne, who was one of the five IFA members who occupied Bord Bia’s headquarters.

“The meeting was generally supportive of the IFA’s stance, although one person questioned whether the IFA had gone in “too hard, too early”, while another wondered if they had settled for too little.

When asked if he had confidence in Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon following the Bord Bia issue, Gorman replied: “Ministers come and go, I wouldn’t answer that question. The Minister for Agriculture did a good job on the derogation in particular, and eventually on the delivery of money. He just didn’t do a good job on this.”

‘Relations are strained’

“With the presidency of the Council of the European Union coming in the latter half of the year, I’d be looking forward to movement there on the [MFF] budget and on the CAP,” he continued. “There’s no doubt relations are strained, and both parties will have to work hard to rebuild them.”

The IFA president was also asked from the floor about unacceptable behaviour by a small minority of farmers during the Larry Murrin protests, particularly where farmers stopped outside the entrance to Minister Heydon’s house on the way to the Newbridge protest.

Gorman replied: “In terms of those incidents, you don’t target the minister’s house. If I’d known about it, it wouldn’t have happened, but I didn’t know about it.

“Tensions were very high, but there are certain ways we conduct our business, and if I was asked to do that, I’d say ‘no’, full stop.” Gorman added that he had conveyed those sentiments to Minister Heydon.