Press Release which was issued on Thursday 20th August, Immediate effect
A new group of senior farming representatives was today launched to actively campaign for a second No vote to Lisbon.
'Farmers for No' was launched in Buswells Hotel today at 12 noon. [The Launch was introduced by vice-chairman David Thompson - current vice Chairman of Limerick IFA.]
National chairman of Farmers for No, James Reynolds, a former chairman of Longford IFA ,said it was crucial that the Irish farming community vote No to protect the future of Irish agriculture. The group is made up of senior farm leaders elected by farmers to represent their views.
Former Munster MEP Kathy Sinnott was guest speaker at the press launch.
....At the press conference today in Buswells, James Reynolds said:
Lisbon is a proxy referendum on Turkish entry - I call on Irish farmers to vote no. Just as the Treaty of Nice facilitated the entry and free movement of many people from the new states of Eastern Europe, we are now told that Lisbon will facilitate even further enlargement.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president last June said, "No Lisbon [Treaty], no enlargement,". He added that "the Nice Treaty limited the EU to a membership of 27 states."
Of particular concern to me is the fact that the EU has opened up entry talks with Turkey, a state of 75 million people, which is economically underdeveloped and has a particularly poor human rights record.
The EU CAP budget is currently over-stretched. The accession of Turkey's-75 million people- would place too great a financial burden on member states. Turkish accession means the number of farmers in the EU would double overnight, causing the CAP payments scheme would collapse across western Europe.
After Lisbon, the Ever Closer union is also an Ever Expanding Union - this has huge financial consequences for farmers and it is to their detriment.
As the three largest political parties here all support Turkish accession; because the Treaty of Lisbon facilitates the EU entry of Turkey I urge Irish farmers vote against it.
As Lisbon is a proxy referendum on Turkish entry - I call on Irish farmers to vote NO to hold on to their C.A.P.
Farmers are sick of EU hyper-regulation. We don't want to be an Irish theme park. As a farmer I am sick to death of the culture of hyper-regulation which comes from Brussels. The Nitrates Directive, Habitat Directive, Soil Directive, etc etc are slowly but surely strangling Irish agriculture.
Irish farmers refuse to be turned into film extras for some Irish Disney theme park for the urban elite of Europe. We want living communities in rural Ireland, not a theme park.
EU Commission proposals on inheritance law will prevent farmers passing on farm as single working unit - this is unacceptable. EU Commission proposals on inheritance law harmonisation, if fully implemented, would mean that Irish farmers will not be able to pass on their family farm as a single working unit to one of their children in the future.
The partial harmonisation of inheritance codes throughtout the EU as proposed by the commission will mean the continental judicial system in this matter would prevail over the Irish Common Law system. It would mean a reserved portion of the deceased's property would have to go to the children of the deceased in equal portion.
Those countries with the Napoleonic Code insist that one cannot leave property as one wishes, but that all children have an equal share.
This would mean the family farm would have to be broken up or sold.
In May this year, the EU Commission dropped the proposals to partially harmonise inheritance law throughout the EU until after Lisbon is voted on. This move was cynical and beneath contempt. Irish farmers want and deserve transparency of this issue.
The decision to delay the proposal follows a similar move last year to quietly drop the commission’s controversial proposal to harmonise the corporate tax base in the EU (CCCTB) .
Because of our Lisbon NO vote, we have residual leverage to force the EU to drop Corporate Tax Base proposals. Once we say yes our leverage is gone.
Once we say yes, they will introduce Corporate Tax Base and introduce measures to bring in harmonised inheritance law - meaning that farmers can't leave their farm as one working unit to a single child.
This would be a disaster. Almost unspeakable crime against farmers and Irish traditions.
The Irish Constitution has rock solid defence of property and inheritance rights. The Lisbon Charter does not. Irelands Constitution Article 43 states: 'The State........guarantees to pass no law attempting to abolish the right of private ownership or the general right to transfer, bequeath, and inherit property' And the following is what we get if the Lisbon Treaty is accepted :
Under Property Rights in the Lisbon Charter of Fundamental Rights it states: (CFR art 17) Property 'No one can be deprived of his or her possessions, except in the public interest and in the cases and under the conditions provided for by law'........ Now we rightly ask clarification of this (Article 17) Right to Property in the Charter of Rights attached to the Lisbon Treaty :
What law(s) refer ? What are these conditions referred to ? What are these cases ?
Who decides on defining these headings? When and how can any of this happen ?
To whom will the law(s) apply ? Who is going to make these laws ? What is the public interest......who decides what it is ? Can one object to, and/or appeal a decision...and to whom?
Where is the certainty in all of this, when matched against our Irish Constitution?
I believe it is the Irish people should decide their values and their laws. And we should not be prevented from handing on the family farm to a child it that is our lasting will.
Article 188 of Lisbon abolishes irish veto on WTO trade agreements Farmers must vote no to the Lisbon Treaty unless they want to go the way of the fishermen, and Irish Ferry workers, and the sugar beet industry.
This is because article 188C and N of Lisbon would remove Ireland's veto in commercial policy agreements with international organisations like the WTO.
Even the Forum for Europe booklet 2008 (p64) is clear that “negotiations and conclusion of agreements with one or more third countries or international organisations in the field of commercial policy” moves from unanimity to qualified majority voting (QMV). If farmers wish to maintain an Irish veto over WTO agreements in the future they must vote No.
To vote Yes would be a death wish to our beef industry in particular and Irish farming in general. Maintaining our veto in as many policy areas as possible, strengthens our hand in negotiations, and ensures Irish interests are protected. It also means laws cannot be imposed on us against our will by people who are not accountable to us
For among the reasons outlined above I call on Irish farmers to come out and vote No to Lisbon in October, just as they did last year.
