"Where's the beef ya vegan fucker ya!?" - Irish Farmers Association protest at Leo Varadkar's visit to Cork today

Subsidies aren’t just there for droughts, they’re there 365 and account for over half of farming income. If the industry can’t stand on its own four legs even when absolutely swimming in millions of handouts from Europe it’s not the governments fault. Subsidies are only going to fall as Europe tackles climate change, carbon taxes may well be on the horizon. Meat substitute products are raising billions on the stock market and being adopted by every major fast food retailer from Burger King to TGI’s. Even non vegans are significantly cutting down on meat consumption. If there’s no money in it that doesn’t mean you’re entitled to demand the government provide you an income for what is at the end of the day a luxury good not essential for life. The market is changing, demand for beef is falling and farmers need to reskill and adapt now or be left in the wake of societal change like dvd rental companies.

/r/ireland Thread Parent Link - twitter.com