Farmers say they should have the right to bear arms, according to survey.
83 percent of farmers say they should have the right to bear arms to defend their property according to Macra na Feirme survey
Meanwhile 50 percent say they have been affected by rural crime according to the Macra survey carried out ahead of next week’s National Ploughing Championships
The majority of the 264 farmers who took part in Macra na Feirme’s Young Farmer Survey for 2016 believe they should have the right to bear arms to defend their property. Half have already been affected by rural crime, one respondent said ‘There needs to be an app or some text service that allows people to give information if they see suspicious activity. Currently you only can contact crime stoppers if you see a crime being committed.’ Another said, ‘A lot of people take photos of their yards and post them up on social media, this is heaven for robbers.’ One more who responded said if a trespasser enters property with the intent to commit a crime the farmer should have the right to do whatever is necessary to protect their land because if nothing is done, ‘What stops others from going into farms and doing the same?’
Macra na Feirme will be present at the National Ploughing Championship for the duration of the event. We will be launching our new farm safety programme ‘ABP Safe Agri Skills’ in association with Skillnets at the championships. The newly crowned 2016 FBD Young Farmer of the Year Kevin Moran will be available for interview as will the Macra National President Sean Finan. Over the course of the three days we’ll be discussing land mobility with Austin Finn, mental health and various agriculture issues affecting Ireland farmers today. We’ll also have fun and games for all the family including the ‘hang bar’ challenge. A number of Kilkenny camogie players will be present at the Macra stand between 12.30 and 2pm on Wednesday September 21st along with the Senior and Intermediate All Ireland Camogie cups.
Macra President Sean Finan says, ‘I look forward to welcoming members both past and present, farmer and the general public to the Macra na Feirme stand at this year’s ploughing. The ploughing championships are a wonderful opportunity to discuss with young farmers the issues that are challenging us and our industry at the moment. I would also like to wish all those taking part in the NPA Macra na Feirme Ploughing Class on Wednesday morning , the very best of luck.’
The Macra na Feirme Stand is located on Block 2, Row 13, Stand 304
For further information or to arrange interviews at the Ploughing Championships please contact:
Joe Coffey Macra na Feirme PRO 087 9356503