Farmers throughout the country have vowed to continue protesting against EU regulation of the industry.
Last night, farmers in their thousands protested in solidarity with their European counterparts who say EU bureaucracy is severely impacting their livelihoods
Munster Regional Chair of the IFA Conor O'Leary said there is broad support for farmers to continue their protest.
“I reckon we had upwards of 300, 350 tractors on the four bridges around Cork City and 250 of those tractors came into the city,” he said.
“We’ve had nothing but cheers from the sidewalks; the amount of camera phones that have been out and everyone cheering us on.”
Donegal #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/wYenI86ftj
— Irish Farmers' Association (@IFAmedia) February 1, 2024
Protests were held in every single county in Ireland - with the exception of County Carlow out of respect to those who died in a recent car crash.
Among their demands are an end to ever-increasing levels of bureaucracy and a more streamlined system for agricultural payments.
“We had huge issues all through the tail end of last year,” Mr O’Leary said.
“We see Europe out now on much the same issues as we were out on in 2023, so I would have to say, certainly the appetite for it is extraordinary.
“But it’s a balance between getting our message across and not disenfranchising the general public.”
Protests are also continuing in France, Germany and Belgium.
Main image: A protest by farmers. Picture by: RollingNews.ie
