Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.3. Correspondence, Letters to newspapers

1940 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Wicklow People, 24.02.1940

Agriculture’s Missing Link1

During the past few weeks in our daily and weekly papers one sees great prominence given to the all important necessity for increased food production, both for man and beast.

A special announcement was made through the Department of Agriculture to the effect that there was no excuse why the farmers could not greatly increase their tillage this year, more so than they did when the Compulsory Tillage scheme was brought out in 1917 during the Great War. In the statement from the Department, the public are informed that there are more agricultural horses, more ploughs, more tractors, than we had in 1917, therefore, there was no excuse why the farmers could not greatly increase their acreage under tillage, much more so than they did in 1917/1918. Alas! we come to the missing link – Money. Of what use are all these horses, ploughs, etc., if the farmer has not the money to buy them? It is like the poor child looking into the confectioner’s window at the sugar cakes. Of course, you will be told farmers could procure loans (but at 6 per cent) to purchase machinery, but anyone who reads down the circular to be filled in before the Agricultural Credit Corporation would sanction a loan, would find that you would almost want to be in a position not to need money before you would be considered credit-worthy.

It is only fair to the farmer to review the position of agriculture at the outbreak of the European War in 1914. Almost all Irish farmers were then in a fairly good, progressive way of working and making a little profit from their land, which was then in a much higher state of fertility than to-day. Most of them also had through their hard work and savings some little resources in capital, so that when war broke out in 1914 any one of them could double their output of farm produce inside two years’ time. Unfortunately, the farmers of Eire have just come through one of the worst wars possible, an Economic War, in which many of our farmers have been killed outright and others so severely wounded that they may never recover, and all so badly injured that they need to get special care and attention and time to recover. In plain words, the position of most farmers to-day is that their resources have been exhausted; land fertility has deteriorated; land is unstocked, and farmers are not in a position to utilise it to the full advantage. To get some idea of the losses to farmers during the Economic War – for the five years of the Economic War we find a total loss in our agricultural exports alone of 117 million pounds, and exports are practically only one-third of our total production. All farmers know of the happenings in the home markets, especially from the time that the quota system was introduced and we may safely put the losses on our home market at 234 million pounds, making a total loss to agriculture between home and export markets of 350 millions.

We find ourselves to-day with almost a million acres less tillage crops and half a million less livestock than in 1914, no resources to fall back on, no credit to be got, and in fact, the great majority of the real farmers of this country in debt to banks and shopkeepers, and in arrears with rates and annuities. If a national catastrophe is to be avoided every possible help must be given to the farmers. Even in the Lenten Pastorals, the Most Reverend Dr. MacNeely and Most Reverend Dr. Naughton, stressed the need for increased food production and that it was a patriotic duty, and that all classes should give whole-hearted co-operation, but that it is only right that the farmer in responding to the call should be safeguarded against undue risks.

In fairness to the farmers of Eire, I beg to remind the public that deputations of members from the Irish Farmers’ Federation went to An Taoiseach and Dr. James Ryan last September and offered the Government our co-operation in increasing the nation’s food supply, but pointed out the relief necessary to farmers to enable us to do so. The present state of affairs should enlighten the public that there is something very wrong in our present financial and economic policy, when on one side you have 100’000 unemployed, and on the other our farms are understaffed and under-stocked. We were told recently to produce more pigs, but I understand the bacon factories are packed full of bacon which cannot be disposed of. Why? If you follow the advertisements of one of the leading factories in the daily papers during the past week you will see “Bacon pigs not wanted.” Yet many of our people are hungry, because they have not the money to buy food.

In my humble opinion, we are only at the beginning of a very serious time. If the European War continues there will be more demand for our produce, but unless the farmers get immediate relief and are guaranteed some security in their industry, the position is hopeless. In plain words and I speak from experience, I know many districts where the few cattle on hands will have to be disposed of to meet rates or buy seeds, and with the prospects of obtaining artificial manures for season 1940/1941 very obscure, to my mind it is necessary to hold all the livestock possible in order to utilise the straw and make manure for 1941 tillage crop. Recent pronouncements from industrial and other quarters as to the necessity for help for agriculture go to prove that agriculture keeps the whole State going. Why does not our Government make an issue of national currency to meet requirements of the farmers and enable them to increase production, and reduce unemployment, and find a market at home for more of our produce?

1 - The same letter was published by the Farmers’ Gazette, 24.02.1940, the Kerryman, 02.03.1940, the Kerry News, 26.02.1940 and the Standard, 01.03.1940.