Farm families are being urged to turn out and vote in strong numbers at the general election.

Irish Farmers Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan said: “We have set out the most important issues for farming in our submissions to the political parties and candidates. We have also held meetings with candidates through our county executives, which provided an opportunity to scrutinise the position of candidates on those issues.

Defining decisions

The farm leader said that families should “think carefully” about who will be the best farmer representative in the Dáil.

“We have some defining decisions ahead, particularly on Brexit, the CAP budget and climate action. I would encourage farmers and their families to weigh up what they have heard on the hustings before deciding who has the best grasp of the issues,” he said.

Cullinan added that farm families should reflect on how their votes could contribute to a stable government.

“In the first instance, voters will choose candidates who are best equipped to deal with the significant challenges for farming and for rural communities. They should also consider how this might impact on the formation of the next government,” he said.

He said that he hoped that farm families would follow the long tradition of engaging in the political process and get out to vote on Saturday.

Read more

Weekly podcast: convergence, CAP and election ‘claptrap’

Skirmish erupts over regulation of beef sector

Time to make your mind up