Farmers Alliance registered to stand candidates in Ireland

A fledgling political party with a main focus on promoting the interests of farmers and agriculture in the Republic of Ireland is set to receive its official registration.

The Electoral Commission has given notice of its intention to approve an application by the Farmers Alliance to become a registered political party eligible to stand in Ireland’s Dáil, local and European Parliament elections.

The decision will become effective pending a 21-day appeal period, or the outcome of any such appeal. If registered, the Farmers Alliance would become the 29th political party to be listed on the current Register of Political Parties.

See also: Irish farmers angered by change to slurry spreading rules

The Farmers Alliance describes itself as “grassroots movement of farmers and citizens from rural and urban locations”.

It began life as a Facebook group in April 2023 started by Liam McLaughlin, a sheep farmer from Donegal, with the aim of creating a unified voice for the farming community.

The party says it aims to “push back from ever-increasing policies which are a threat to our livelihoods”.

The group grew quickly to more than 20,000 members, many of whom encouraged it to register as a political party.

Helen O’Sullivan, a suckler farmer from West Cork, co-founded the Farmers Alliance.

In her profile on the party’s website, Ms O’Sullivan explains that she is passionate about farming and recently graduated from University College Cork with a Higher Diploma in Sustainability in Enterprise.

‘Bridge rural-urban divide’

“Even though we are the most sustainable producers of nutrient-dense food globally, we are being labelled as environmental terrorists,” she says.

“There is a huge divide between rural and urban dwellers because of this. We need to bridge this gap and unite for a better Ireland.”

The Farmers Alliance has warned that the EU’s recent Nature Restoration Law and its government’s decision to cut Ireland’s nitrates derogation limits from 250kg/ha of organic nitrogen to 220kg/ha “will send a lot of farmers over the edge”.

The party has vowed to work to encourage local food production, promote existing markets for farmers, support small enterprises such as farmers’ co-operative societies and craft butchering, and address the red tape burden on farmers.

Dutch party success

A similar movement in the Netherlands, the Dutch Farmers’ Party, was set up in 2019 by Dutch-Irish politician Caroline Van der Plas in response to new environmental laws imposed by the Dutch government, which has launched a major crackdown on farm emissions.

Farmers in Scotland have called for a similar, pro-farming party to be established in the face of threats to their livelihoods.