Last week’s Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) AGM proved to be a feisty affair.

Considering the plight of the beef sector, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed would have expected to be put through the wringer on prices, processor dominance, live exports, Brexit and CAP payments.

And indeed he was bombarded with lengthy statements and multiple questions.

So much so that the chair, ICSA general secretary Eddie Punch, decided to limit farmers to one-sentence questions.

One crafty farmer flouted the rules, stating he hadn’t used a full stop and was therefore entitled to ask two questions.

Punch then threatened to end the meeting if questions weren’t shortened.

Parting shot

Ger Grehan, vice-chair of the livestock committee, wasn’t too happy with this, and stood up to leave the room. His parting shot was to the chair, and not the minister. “You’re at it again and you’ll pay the price,” he said. Punch replied: “I’m not finished yet, Ger.”

It’s hard to discern if this was Punch clarifying that he intended to take more questions if Grehan was prepared to wait a bit more, or if he was referring to his own longevity at the association’s helm.

Punch then turned to the minister and said: “Fine Gael candidate for Roscommon, Michael.”

Grehan has been selected by Fine Gael to run for May’s county council elections in the Athlone district.

The minister didn’t want to get pulled into internal ICSA (or Fine Gael) politics, and wisely replied: “what am I supposed to say to that?”

Ger Grehan had obviously heard Punch’s remark, because he re-entered the room as the minister was addressing the question from the floor, and addressed Punch again: “What did you say? Is that relevant here tonight? Is it?”

The prospective councillor then used some distinctly unparliamentary language.

In contrast to this (and to Monday’s Waterford IFA monthly executive), Castleisland saw a healing of the strained relations between the Healy-Raes and the Beef Plan Movement.

There had been sharp exchanges at a meeting in Kenmare late last year, but the Healy-Raes took advantage of An Taoiseach’s comments on his meat intake to declare a common enemy to all present. Never on the wrong side of the fence for long, especially in an election year.