Republican News · Thursday 25 April 2002

Fermanagh farming facing bleak future

Sinn Féin Agriculture Spokesperson, Fermanagh South Tyrone Assembly member Gerry McHugh, has said that farming in Fermanagh faces a bleak future, with fewer young people than ever choosing to follow their parents into the industry.

"We have the so-called Vision document from the Agriculture Minister Brid Rodgers but we have hard pressed farming families who need government action. This is compounded by our being tied into decisions by a British government that takes little account of our needs," he said.

"Unless there is action, farmers here will be unable to meet the spiralling costs of meeting the increasingly stringent environmental restrictions.

"The Department's Vision document says there will always be farmers and farming but that is debatable and recent comments from Brid Rodgers appear to contradict the document. Young people are not coming into the industry and people who want to get out of farming and older farmers are stranded.

"There is much debate about the future of farming but the industry needs more than just talk. It needs support but if we are to create a future we cannot ignore the specific demands created by the global market.

"Dairy farmers in Fermanagh could suffer the same fate as small pig farmers, who have all but vanished from the county.

"Sustainable agriculture should be about meeting the current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs."