One-third of Irish famers say they will vote No to the Lisbon Treaty / IFA cannot recommend a Yes vote

From today's Irish Farmers Journal:

Farmers' Lisbon vote hangs in balance
Current Edition: 17 May 2008
By Ken Whelan and Pat O' Keeffe

Some 40% of farmers are likely to vote "Yes'' to the Lisbon Treaty referendum, while 33% say they are likely to vote "No'', according to an Irish Farmers Journal/RedC poll conducted this week. However, of the farmers that intend to vote, 27% remain in the "Don't Know'' camp ahead of the referendum on June 12....

The Irish Farmers Journal/RedC poll was conducted from last Tuesday to Saturday (May 6-10) among 619 farmers. The usual age, gender and demographic principles were used in the poll.

While the IFA have not called for a "no'' vote, the association's President Padraig Walshe has said that the association, while historically pro-European, could not recommend a "Yes'' vote if Commissioner Mandelson persists with what Walshe perceives as a "sell out'' of Irish and European agriculture....

Of those indicating a "No'' vote, 35% said a lack of knowledge about the Treaty was the main reason behind their negative attitude. A further 24% cited Mandelson/WTO concerns while another 21% believed the Treaty would "transfer more power from Dublin to Brussels''. A mere 4% of farmers were concerned about the implications for Irish neutrality posed by the Treaty.... [link]

See also: One-third of farmers set to reject Lisbon Treaty

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