Leo Varadkar will be making his first foray into the heart of rural Ireland as Taoiseach when he attends the Iverk Show in Piltown next week.

Approaching its 200th birthday, the Iverk Show is named after the region that hosts it. The only remaining agricultural show in Kilkenny, it draws a lot of its attendance from nearby Tipperary and Waterford, so the Taoiseach better be ready to chat hurling.

He also should be prepared for some criticism of the Department of Agriculture. During the hustings that preceded his election as Fine Gael leader, Varadkar made nightly mentions of the delay in payments of schemes such as GLAS. The situation has not been resolved since May.

Farmer dissatisfaction with the Department may be at its highest level for a decade, with relations between the IFA and the Department strained over inspections and the fraught tillage crisis fund campaign and negotiations.

Meanwhile, Tullamore Show passed without ministerial presence last Sunday. Perhaps Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed had the entirely justifiable excuse of being in Croke Park to witness Jamie Barron, Austin Gleeson and co do to Cork what farmers typically do to a minister at a show: welcome him with a handshake – and then pulverise him for an hour and a half. The lack of any ministerial representation was commented upon on the day. My favourite was The Irish Times headline: “Absence of ministers mars otherwise perfect Tullamore Show”. To be that close to perfection.

Never ones to allow a vacuum, MEPs Mairead McGuinness and Seán Kelly were hi-vis in Tullamore.

Other politicians present included Green Party ag spokesperson Pippa Hackett and local Sinn Féin TD Caroline Nolan.