Sinn Féin’s new agriculture spokesperson is on an election footing and will spend the coming weeks in her new role finalising the party’s agriculture and food policy for the general election.

Claire Kerrane, who hails from a suckler farm in Tibohine, Elphin, in west Roscommon, takes over the role from Matt Carthy, who is moving to the foreign affairs brief this week.

The party will engage with all farm organisations on its policy, she told the Irish Farmers Journal. This is “so we can go to farmers” in the general election and “they can put their faith in us”.

“The bottom line is the fact that farmers are still not getting a fair price for their high standard of produce,” she said.

With her father and two brothers farming sucklers and sheep at home, the Roscommon-Galway TD says she has a good read on agriculture and she will be putting her best foot forward for the sector.

Asked for her take on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue’s performance to date, she said she will “get a better read when she meets with the farm organisations” and starts into her work in the agriculture brief.

“I don’t see him doing a lot so far,” she said, stating that he has been slow to move on a number of issues, for sheep farmers in particular.

“That’s the impression to date. The minister has to be proactive and support farmers across the board, especially small- and medium-sized farmers. To sustain farming families, they need supports,” she said.

Asked whether she would be aiming to become minister for agriculture in the future, she replies in the affirmative.

For now, though, Kerrane is looking forward to getting into her new brief.

“It’s a new challenge, there is a lot to learn and I’ll never pretend to know everything. My priority is to have the best package and platform to go to farmers in the next election.”

Agri-food regulator

The Agri-Food Regulator has to be strong but also effective, she insists.

“Retailers are getting a good cut of the cake, yet it’s farmers doing the work. Farmers need a larger chunk of the cake [in relation to price]. The regulator needs to be effective and it needs real teeth.”

While climate action is challenging for farmers, the opposition TD says, it’s about “bringing farmers with us” and farmers must be remunerated for measures they carry out to cut emissions.

Sinn Féin will soon begin preparing for its alternative budget for 2024, in which she is pushing for a “strong package” for farmers, which will come from engaging with all farm organisations.

“I know from speaking to farmers that [many] wouldn’t encourage their children into farming – we need to turn that around,” she adds.