I sense that Taoiseach, Simon Harris, will shortly announce the date of a general election. This should be a good news story for agriculture.

At a very fundamental level, the election process will allow farmers to deliver their verdict on the impact made within their sector by the current government over the past five year.

Moreover, it will allow those involved in production agriculture to reflect on their priorities for the future.

Election campaigns are not about political parties telling everyone in the country their plans for their future. They are more about the electorate telling our political leaders what they want from them.

General election

Irish agriculture is in a pretty parlous state at the present time. Two key issues get to the heart of the current debate – climate change, which now encompasses all aspects of environmental stewardship and food security.

It should be possible to merge both debates in ways that represent a win/win scenario for farmers.

However, up to this point the environmental / climate change debate has been couched in the context of farmers being told they are the ‘bad boys’ of the piece.

This narrative has to change.

Farmers have been the custodians of the Irish countryside since the year dot. And, by all accounts, they have done a pretty good job of it.

Sustainability is the new buzz word. And it’s a principle that covers a lot of territory. But, first and foremost, it must be recognised as a principle that delivers truly meaningful incomes for farm families.

It may seem to crass to make the following point. But if farming businesses are not making money, then all aspects of rural life grind to a halt.

The levels of bank and other borrowings within agriculture tell the real story of what’s happening within Irish agriculture at the present time; they remain at historically high levels.

This means that farmers are having to borrow against the one real asset they own – their land – in order to make a living.

This is a far from sustainable situation as farming in Ireland looks to the future.

Farmers need to hear their political representatives tell them production agriculture can look forward to a bright future.

But policy headlines are only part of the story. We’ve heard lots of those down through the years.

Farmers also need to hear about policies that will deliver for their businesses in a real and meaningful way.