A DOUBLING of the ANC payments would be the most effective and targeted way of sustaining small farms across the West of Ireland,  according to the Irish Family Farm Group (IFFG).

Chair of the IFFG, Cork farmer Donie Shine, told the Farming Tribune this week, that the ANC (Areas of Natural Constraint) was the mechanism in place which could be used to ensure the future viability of small farms.

IFFG are holding an open meeting in the Mountbellew Mart canteen on the Friday night of February 9 (8pm) with the aim of highlighting the plight of smaller farms and the declining numbers involved in agriculture.

According to Donie Shine, over the past five to seven years, as many as 14,000 farmers ‘had left the land’ for one reason or another, whether it be low incomes or the fact that there was no successor to take over the farm.

He also pointed to the decline of the national suckler herd with up to 1,000 cows per week being culled, a trend which had been ongoing for the past four to five years.

“We are hoping that at meetings like the one we will be holding in Mountbellew next week, we can highlight the decline in farming numbers that’s happening in many parts of the country, but especially so along western seaboard counties,” said Donie Shine.

Pictured: Donie Shine: Increased ANC payments could be the saviour for small farmers.