Minister for Agriculture for just six weeks – and third-choice minister at that – and you get an extra €180m to hand out to farmers in the budget! No wonder Charlie McConalogue looked relaxed in his appearances this week.

He was able to announce increased allocations for dairy, beef, sheep, tillage, pig, poultry and organic farmers, under various scheme headings. All going well, a chunk of it will land in his Donegal home patch. He’ll be popular with the backbenchers and county councillors.

Tuesday had to have been a tough day for Barry Cowen and Dara Calleary – either could have been handing out the money, but for small slip-ups. Even former Minister Michael Creed must be wondering why he got such relatively paltry amounts for farmers each year.

This was the biggest giveaway budget ever announced in this country, even by Fianna Fáil. What’s more, it has the official blessing of most commentators as the required stimulus against a pandemic downturn. It will bring national debt to €219bn. McConalogue’s fellow Fianna Fáiler, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath, warned that this high borrowing and spending could not continue every year. Presumably the bills can start arriving any time after Leo Varadkar takes over as Taoiseach. We can see more clearly now why Micheál Martin insisted on going first.

There were very few downsides, although one or two will impact on farmers and rural dwellers. Carbon taxes have gone up and the price of green tractor diesel will rise by 1.9c/l from next May. However, that can be blamed on Eamon Ryan and his colleagues in the Green Party.

Likewise, prices for new and imported cars will go up because of VRT and motor tax changes, and particularly for the bigger diesels used by farmers for pulling trailers. But this too can be blamed on the Greens.

Tuesday was a tough day for opposition parties. There was little political criticism of McConalogue from his political markers. Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy said the farming element of the budget lacked ambition and was a pale imitation of his own proposals. Labour’s Seán Sherlock could find nothing to criticise in relation to farming in his main statement.

The budget will help IFA president Tim Cullinan and other farm leaders – they got much of what they asked for. Cullinan and IFA farm business chair Rose Mary McDonagh broadly welcomed the budget – the Dealer can’t remember when that last happened. ICMSA, Macra and the other farm organisations were also broadly positive.