This article is from page 51 of the 2007-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
CLARE farmers have nothing to fear from the Green Party in Gov- ernment. This was the message from Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent, who was in Clare on Thursday meet- ing Clare farming leaders.
Speaking in Ennis, Deputy Sar- gent said that Greens in Government would be good for farming and rural communities with CAP and GATT reforms creating a real danger of massive job losses in the future.
‘This happened under the watch of those parties that demonise Green Party policy clearly without actually reading it,’ said Cllr Brian Meaney,
the Green Party General Election candidate in Clare.
“Finding a convenient scapegoat for the present and previous govern- ment parties’ failures detracts atten- tion from their own failings.”
The Greens have placed emphasis on the importance of enhancing the flexibility and diversity of agricul- ture and sustaining the family farm and the importance of safeguard- ing the land for future generations and encouraging young people into evweeperee
SU tom Orcctorme- toilet Meese MO KealeNe ise farming by creating opportunities for fuel crops, green waste manage- ment and a new local focus on food
supply.
The Green Party claim that they will lobby for changes in the World Trade Organisation to protect do- mestic agriculture from being under- cut by imports that are not subject to the same quality, health and envi- ronmental standards and streamline the payment of money under grant schemes so that farmers do not have to pay all the costs up front before being refunded 40 per cent by the Department of Agriculture at a later stage, which often necessitates ex- pensive bridging loans.
They have also listed creating re- search strategies to maximise the economic value of agricultural pro-
duce through value-added food prod- ucts as well as the promotion of a clean green image of Ireland abroad, creating a ‘green Ireland’ brand for food products.
They have also given a commit- ment to fund the Irish Seed Savers Association in Scariff, ensure Ire- land becomes a GM-free zone and ban farming of cloned animals, pro- vide more direct sale from farmer to consumer through farmers’ mar- kets, require planning authorities to designate “market spaces’ within all towns, reduce the dependence on chemical inputs by the majority of farmers and support sustainable farming by favouring small farms.