Farmers' tractor protest in Dublin

Three hundred tractors converged three deep on Dublin city centre yesterday as farmers brought their protest over low incomes to the Irish government's doorstep.

Thousands of vehicles have driven in convoys from every corner of the republic since Monday, but only 300 were allowed into the city, due to fears of gridlock.

The Irish Farmers' Association says 20,000 farmers have been driven off the land in the past decade due to falling earnings, which it estimates are down 8.5% in the past year alone.

John Dillon, the IFA president, who addressed farmers in Dublin yesterday, said the average farm income was now €15,000 a year (£10,000), a third of what most public sector employees earn. He called on the government to raise prices for milk, beef and grain, increase the VAT refund, deliver a proper agri-environmental package, and drop plans to double disease levies.