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There has been a lot of money pumped into rural Ireland because the Green Party is in government, according to Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett.
The minister insisted that the perception that her party is anti-rural is incorrect, adding that the Greens are often used as an “easy target” by others.
“We’re an easy target. We’re the only party trying to implement the changes that are needed,” she said.
Minister Hackett was responding to the Irish Farmers Journal survey finding that the Green Party is polling at 1% among farmer voters nationally.
‘Step change’
The Offaly senator, on home soil at Tullamore Show, told the Irish Farmers Journal that since the Green Party entered government, there has been a “step change” in rural supports.
She added that “since the Greens came into government, we’ve seen all the positive developments around forestry, organics”.
“We’ve seen very much environmental supports from the payments, the CAP payments. A lot of people were saying nobody is going to do ACRES, organics, but, look - they are doing it. Farmers are engaged with that,” she said.
Not worried
Minister Hackett said she was not “particularly worried” about the survey finding that three in four farmers would give their first preference vote to a farmers’ party at the next general election, if such a party was available.
“Good luck to them if they want to, but any of the interviews I’ve heard with any potential farmers' party, they don’t seem to have any numbers yet.
“We’ll watch the space and see what happens,” she said.
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