Irish Farmers are taking to the road in advance of the G8 summit to protest fracking in Ireland.

Farmers from the north west will stage a tractor run this Sunday from Manorhamilton to the iconic Ballroom of Romance in Glenfarne, Co. Leitrim to highlight their opposition to fracking.

Organizers from community organization Love Leitrim are estimating that at least 80 tractors will

turn out from around the North West of Ireland, and many from across the border in what is expected to be a colorful yet poignant show of North /South solidarity.

There is a temporary suspension of licensing while research is conducted on the controversial gas mining technique in Ireland. However, there is no such suspension in Fermanagh where world leaders will meet for the annual summit. Australian mining company Tamboran Resources plan to drill this year within County Fermanagh, only a few miles away from the South.

Michael Gallagher, an organizer of Sunday’s protest, spoke about the importance that farmers take this opportunity to raise the pollution risk of gas drilling on the agricultural and food industry on an all Ireland basis.

The sheep farmer is concerned that the farming reputation of the whole of Ireland would be at stake should fracking be introduced in either Ireland or Northern Ireland. He believes there is already enough information to support a ban, which is the only way to safeguard Ireland’s food reputation abroad.

Gallagher, who comes from generations of farmers said, “These leaders like the companies are here for a short time, and will be gone but we aren’t going anywhere”

“We are tied to this place and the land we survive off. It’s not just our livelihood, it’s our life, and it’s the lives of the next generation too.”