IFA Connacht chair Pat Murphy intends to travel to Dublin by bicycle for the IFA farm family rally this weekend to help draw attention to the event.

The rally is set to take place on Sunday 21 November at 11am in Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

Murphy will set off on his bike from Ardrahan, Co Galway, on Friday morning at 9am with the hope of reaching Dublin by Saturday afternoon.

He intends to make it to Tyrrellspass by Friday evening and will complete the final leg of the journey on Saturday.

Murphy’s route will take him through the likes of Loughrea, Ballinasloe, Moate, Tyrrellspass and Kilbeggan and he encourages people to come out and join him on their bikes even if it’s just from one town to the next.

Murphy hopes to gather momentum as he makes his way to Dublin and said that it would be great if people were even just "out there clapping and cheering along”.

“My family is as vulnerable as any other and I am very afraid for my farm and its future for my family,” Murphy said.

Praising Ireland’s low carbon footprint when it comes to producing food, he said: "people are buying into this, we can meet our targets, just give us the right tools and we will play our part, like we have been already."

“Factory farms are not the answer to reducing carbon emissions. They will put people out of business and ruin rural communities and rural economies," he said.

Murphy urges politicians to stand up to the Green party and Europe.

Murphy argued that: “Forcing people out of business is not the answer, we need politicians to stand up for us and that is my motto this week.”