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Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon maintains that Fine Gael will poll strongly among farmers in future national, local and European Parliament elections, despite indications of high support levels in rural areas for a new farmers' party.
“Fine Gael has a strong track record in rural Ireland among farmers and rural dwellers and I am very confident that will be reiterated in the upcoming local [elections] and European [election] next year and a general election thereafter as well,” Minister Heydon told the Irish Farmers Journal at the Tullamore Show on Sunday.
“There is only one poll that any politician cares about and that’s election time and our track record speaks for itself in terms of votes we garnered in rural Ireland in the past and I believe we will be trusted with a lot of people’s votes in the future.”
72% say they would back new party
His comments come as an exclusive Irish Farmers Journal survey found that almost three in every four farmers would back a farmers’ party with their first preference vote, if presented with the option on polling day.
When pushed on what had influenced 72% of the almost 2,000 farmers surveyed to say they would give their first preference to a farmers’ party, Minister Heydon recognised that many farmers are currently struggling.
“Ultimately, it is a very hard time for farmers and farmers are frustrated and that is very understandable,” he continued.
“It is my job and the work of my colleagues to deal with those issues and meet those challenges head on and to be honest with farmers as well.
“I acknowledge this is a hard time for farmers and that there’s a lot of challenges coming together at the same time. From weather to prices, to the cost of inputs and all the rest. And we’re working really to try and work our way through them.”
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