One of the country’s leading farm organisations has issued one final statement before the election, imploring farmers to “support candidates who support farming”.
Pat McCormack, the president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), urged farmers – as well as those in wider rural communities who depend on the agriculture sector – to vote for candidates and policies that will “actively support and develop” the sector.
In what he said would be his association’s final statement regarding the General Election – which will take place this Saturday, February 8 – McCormack argued that farmers and rural voters “need to ask the hard questions” of political parties and candidates in the final days of the campaign, and “support those who will genuinely support the farm sector”.
Obviously how individual farmers vote is a matter for them. All we are saying is that – where we are now as a sector and as individual farmers – we absolutely have to have a government that will treat us fairly and equitably and not take aim at us for ideological or politically expedient reasons.
“Every farm and farm-related vote should be cast for candidates who support farming and the wider rural economy,” the ICMSA president added.
McCormack concluded: “It’s impossible to overstate how important it is that we have a government who will work with us and not against us and every vote is going to count.”
Election postponed in Tipperary
While voting will take place in most of the country on Saturday, voting in Tipperary has been postponed, following the death of a candidate there.
Candidates running in the constituency received an e-mail from the returning officer for Tipperary, James Seymour, yesterday evening, Monday, February 3, confirming that the constituency’s vote will be postponed following the death of candidate Marese Skehan of Cabra Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.