Punch: Farmers ‘scapegoated’ for fossil fuel woes

THE former secretary general of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) now running for Europe as part of the Independent Ireland party says farming’s role in carbon storage is not being recognised, believing farmers are the ‘scapegoat’ for the fossil fuel industry.

Eddie Punch is a suckler and beef farmer from Cratloe in Co Clare and spent more than 20 years lobbying for the ICSA in Europe.

On Tuesday he confirmed he will be standing for West Cork TD Michael Collins’ Independent Ireland party in the European elections.

He has thrown his hat in for Ireland South and says his experience lobbying successive European Farm Commissioners and EU officials on a face-to- face basis in both Brussels and Strasbourg stands to him.

‘I have negotiated with every EU Farm Commissioner since Franz Fischler in 2003,’ he said.

‘I want to put that experience to use for the constituents of Ireland South. This is not just about farmers; this is about all of those whose lives and economic wellbeing is linked to the success of our agri-food sector. This is about Ireland’s vital national interests, of which our farming sector is a key component.

‘Farmers are more actively engaged in sustainability than most of the population and want to do the right thing but they are also entitled to recognition for the role they play in providing carbon sinks, and they are entitled to fairness in terms of emissions estimates and other metrics that have been adopted, even in the face of emerging evidence that shows that farming has been made a scapegoat to thevbenefit of the fossil fuel sector.’

Mr Punch ssays that farmers are actively engaged in sustainability but ‘we can’t forget that the primary purpose of farming is to feed the world’.

‘Farming also can make a significant difference to renewable energy and we need to get the balance right in policy between food security, energy security and climate ambition.’

Michael Collins said Mr Punch ‘understands the need for cooperation to get things done.'

Eddie Punch has a demonstrated track record in working with representatives and stakeholders at both local and international levels.

His experience will prove a vital asset for Independent Ireland as we seek to deliver better representation in Brussels.’