While Minister Creed was gently poked for missing the ploughing championships in last week’s paper, he must be credited for running the gauntlet of Laois farmers at the IFA monthly executive on Monday.

I don’t know if a sitting agriculture minister has ever attended a county executive meeting outside their own county before. He was accompanied by local Minister Charlie Flanagan. Meanwhile, Denis Naughten was addressing a farmers meeting on sucklers in Ballinasloe. Is there an election on the horizon? Not yet, there’s one more budget under the confidence and supply agreement, and it’s coming next Tuesday.

And it wasn’t as if Minister Creed was bringing good news for the farmers attending. The main (almost the sole) focus from the floor was a €200 suckler cow payment in the upcoming budget. The minister said it isn’t deliverable. Does this mean a €200 payment won’t be happening, or that there will be no new payment at all? Politicians sometimes choose their words strategically, but the word on the street is that not only will there be no new suckler cow payment in the upcoming budget, but that farming will not see any new initiative at all. Sure, current schemes will be renewed, Bord Bia, Teagasc and co will be funded. Tax incentives will be put in place again, and it’s expected that commitments made in the programme for government in relation to tax credit equalisation will be completed. There are still hopes that some measure in relation to addressing taxation in the face of income volatility will be made. All the farm organisations have again stressed their proposals in this regard.

If the minister fails to deliver, will he be hammered by the opposition spokesmen? Charlie McConalogue is in a tricky position. While he has consistently called for a suckler cow payment, he will have to either support the budget or abstain when it comes to time to vote. Under the confidence and supply agreement, Fianna Fáil will ensure the passage of Paschal Donohoe’s Budget 2019, unless it contains a hand grenade.

On the other hand, Sinn Fein’s Martin Kenny is free to attack the Government’s performance for farmers. From here on in, we could be one own goal from an election.