Lea. and Government Stand Against

last Saturday.

The most positive aspect of the demonstration against EEC prices was a token sale of farm produce at the prices the farmers get themselves — beef at 16/20p per pound, 15p a stone for potatoes, 3p for a cabbage, 1p for a dozen carrots, 3p for a pint of milk and 22%p for a pound of bacon!

The militancy of the farmers is justifiable for they have been sold short by two governments, but the sad aspect of the Saturday demonstration was the cynical way the Irish Farmers’ Association condemned the Government for causing the present beef crisis. T. J. Maher, the president, called for a ‘Monetary break with Britain’ (the Irish £ is the same value as the British one). He claimed that this ‘would be the answer to the farmers’ problems.

indeed bring much more meaning into the word ‘indépendence’ but alone it means nothing. Maher's statement is hypocritical. He and of EEC membership in 1972. They supported the EEC because they represent the BIG farmers — the cattle ranchers. EEC farm policy is to raise the size of farms to ‘economic units’ — in plain English to get rid of the small farmer. Breaking with the English £ would benefit all farmers, but it would not be of any real benefit to the small men, to those who make just a bare living from farming. At the moment there is a crisis because the EEC Farm policy had led to over-production of cattle. The small farmers produce the young cattle and sell to the ‘‘big men’’! They in turn fulfil almost a factory role by fattening these for market and export. They only buy when they reckon that there will be a market for their fat cattle at a profitable price for them. If, as at the present time there is no market for the fat cattle then they don’t buy calves from the small farmers — or else they buy at ridiculous prices from farmers desperate for the money. The big farmer runs his enterprise like a factory and of course works through the banks. He therefore has access to the money necessary.to buy the feed to fatten his cattle — even with the present glut situation and can wait for better prices in the Spring.

In a pamphlet issued by the National Land League, the small Despite threats and warnings from pro-Unionist Limerick ‘socialist’ Jim Kemmy* and from the former ‘Labour’ Lord Mayor of Limerick Stephen Coughlan, more than 20,000 men and women took part in the Farmers’ rally in Limerick farmers’ organisation, this position is outlined. It explains how there is only enough feedstuffs in the country to feed 5 million of the _ fountry’s 7% million cattle. But the big farmers will be buying up much of this to FATTEN cattle for the already glutted beef market — because they are GUARANTEED a minimum price for fat cattle by the EEG. In this situation it is clear that the government has the power to force big farmers to get rid of their fat cattle now by some form of subsidy or tarriff.

Needless to say, since the government is in favour of the EEC plans to get the small farmers off the land, and to increase the size of the farms, it will not do this. In fact the ‘Green Pound’ which is being demanded by the NFA and Break the £ link with Britain woulchas apparently been granted in Brussels, will only serve to encourage big farmers to hold on to their cattle. Further, evidence of the government's attack on the IFA were the leading proponents small farmers lies in their BLOCKING OF THE EXPORT OF YOUNG CATTLE. Young cattle would fetch £25 per cwt. on the export market but cannot be sold in many cases here even for £5.

In this lies the hypocricy and cynicism of Maher and the NFA. They are not only the most effective instruments of application of the Government’s and EEC’s campaign against the'small farmer, but are succeeding ir: hoodwinking the small farmers themselves.

It is becoming clearer almost by the day, that the only victims of the Government's and EEC’s policies are the country’s workers and small farmers. Emigration in the past has been the traditional safety valve for farmers driven off the land, or for the unemployed on the dole queue. But with unemployment rising in Britain even that miserable luxury will soon no longer be there. It would appear that for once in lreland’s history a government is going to have to face the victims of its economic activities. Such a situation can only serve to drive home to Irish workers ahd small farmers that their interests lie neither in a mythical ‘unity with Europe’, nor in being controlled by British Capital. It can only convince them that the only system that will benefit them is one which will put them before the economies of Capitatism — a 32 counties Workers and Small Farmers’ Republic.

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LONDON , E8.