Mediation not Confrontation on Farm Debt – Harkin
Where farmers are engaged in meaningful mediation with vulture funds, there should be no forced sales and consequent evictions. This was stated by Marian Harkin MEP following a protest which she attended outside BidX1 offices, a global online auction platform, in Dublin on Monday, November 26th.
Speaking at the protest, Marian Harkin emphasised that the purpose of this demonstration was to support farm families who are making real efforts to deal with their financial institutions who are currently seeking to sell their farms in online auctions.
“Today we are supporting genuine efforts by farmers and their families to engage with financial institutions. There are examples of these institutions simply pulling the plug when serious and substantive negotiations are ongoing”, she stated.
“This is a very difficult issue but, as politicians, we have a responsibility to facilitate real dialogue and meaningful engagement in an effort to avoid forced evictions. It is important to say this is not about moral hazard but about ensuring that those who make genuine and substantive efforts to find solutions should be given an opportunity to do so”, Marian Harkin stated.
“Some farmers and their families are living in terror day after day as their efforts to deal with their debt are ignored and dismissed and people feel totally powerless. Today is about redressing that balance just a little and giving people a real opportunity to sort out their debts”, Marian Harkin concluded.
