The Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) national council has decided to mount a nationwide protest on Thursday evening in solidarity with their EU counterparts.

It is expected that the IFA will hold a tractor run in each county between 7pm and 9pm.

IFA president Francie Gorman said that farmers in Ireland have been watching the protests across Europe.

"They are just as frustrated by what is happening as farmers in other countries.

“They feel they are being regulated out of business by Brussels bureaucrats and Department of Agriculture officials who are far removed from the reality of day-to-day farming,” he said.

Frustration

“Tomorrow evening, through our local structures, [the] IFA will be providing an opportunity for farmers to show solidarity with farmers who are protesting in Germany, France, Belgium and other member states.

“Irish farmers are pro-EU, but there is mounting frustration about the impact of EU policy on European farmers and its implementation here in Ireland. The general feeling among farmers across the EU is that ‘enough is enough’,” he said.

Waterford

It is understood the protest will mirror the protest action in Kilmacthomas in Waterford on Tuesday evening.

Farmers in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, held a rally of support on Tuesday.

Around 20 farmers parked their tractors over the main N25 Waterford to Cork road in a show of solidarity with their EU peers in Germany, France and Belgium.

Mark Connors from the Kilmacthomas IFA branch said that the gathering was not a protest, but a “visual act of solidarity” with other EU farmers.

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