A war of words has broken out between two of Ireland’s biggest business representatives over suggestions from the Small Firms Association that farmers and the government should bare the brunt of commercial rate costs.

The SFA Director, Patricia Callen, suggested that Irish farmers and government departments should pay commercial rates along with all other traders.

She stated that ‘Farming is a business like any other and at the moment and unlike many city-and-town- based retail operations, it’s doing quite well.

‘Therefore it’s only fair that farmers should also pay commercial rates and bear their fair share of infrastructure and service costs.’

The also went on to say that a move like this would help relieve the pressure on a dwindling pool of city and town businesses, many of whom are still being forced to pay boom-era rates.

However the Irish Farmers Association President, John Bryan has released a statement saying ‘Farm buildings, which are those linked to primary agricultural production, are not located in towns and cities, and therefore do not benefit from the services provided for commercial buildings in urban areas.  Where related activities are located in urban centres, such as buildings that provide for the sale of agricultural products, these do pay commercial rates.’

He also said that the ‘SFA would be better employed to concentrate whatever capacity it has on representing its own members and not proposing solutions that increase costs for other sectors. This can only damage the viability of thousands of small businesses dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.”