Varadkar’s rural Ireland comments were wrong – Heydon

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said that former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s comments on rural Ireland were wrong and that there should not be a urban-rural divide in Ireland.

The Minister described Varadkar’s comments, that rural Ireland is in receipt of a lot of subsidies and tax benefits that urban Ireland does not get, as very blunt.

“That’s blatantly not true, our farmers through the multiplier effect have a disproportionately positive effect on the economic activity in our rural areas,” he stated.

Irish agri food exports

The Minister said that Irish agri food exports are worth around €20 bn and are a key driver to the economy.

“There are 2.6 million blocks of Kerrygold butter sold from American shelves every week, that is brand Ireland and the work our farmers do,” Heydon said, about a recent trip he took to the US for St Patrick’s Day.

He explained that the Irish agri food sector drives economic activity back into our rural communities.

“When urban dwellers take their holidays this summer in rural Ireland they will take holidays in vibrant rural communities that are thriving on the back of the agricultural activity particularly that drove that economic activity during the winter,” Heydon said.

“Seven out of 10 holidays in Ireland are in rural areas not urban areas so this is all interlinked.

“This is why we work with farmers, we have to understand when they have times of crisis like inflated input costs.

“It is my job as well to explain to an urban public the really valuable role our farmers play in our overall economy in Ireland,” he said.