Sinn Féin’s popularity among farmers soars as Fine Gael sinks

SINN FÉIN’S popularity in the farming community has soared in recent weeks, with the party now commanding 30pc of support, according to a Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes poll.

Overall Sinn Féin support among all voters now stands at 35pc, ahead of FG on 21pc and FF on 19pc.

Such polls generally come with certain reservations, but the change is remarkable: the party’s farmer support has risen from just 5pc in March 2019 and 11pc in January of this year.

In contrast, in March 2019, almost half of the farmers polled said they would vote for Fine Gael in a general election, but that figure has fallen to 31pc.

Fianna Fáil’s farmer support over the last 12 months had been more stable but has plummeted since January, down from 39pc to 20pc.

The poll comes as Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil look to form a coalition government, with intensive talks set to take place this week.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has described meetings with a host of farm organisations as constructive and detailed. It said the purpose of the meetings led by deputies Matt Carthy and Brian Stanley were to discuss core issues within agriculture and to identify key priorities for a programme for government.

Carthy said Sinn Féin is determined to deliver a programme for government which delivers real change across Ireland and that change must include key priorities for rural Ireland and agriculture. Key to this will be protecting family farmers.

Failed

“Successive governments have failed rural Ireland and unless we take urgent action, the Irish family farm model, and the rural communities that depend on them, will reach crisis point,” he said.

“We are committed to implementing the radical changes required to revive our agricultural sector and to give small and medium-sized farms a chance to survive and flourish. A first task in government will be to establish a Commission on the Future of the Family Farm.”

Carthy said there is a need to ensure that CAP supports the family farm, that the competitiveness issues within the beef sector is challenged through regulation and legislation, that belowcost selling is banned, that farmers are rewarded for positive environmental action and that we see a change of culture within the Department of Agriculture to deliver due respect to farmers.

“Our meetings last week with stakeholders from across the sector were positive and informative. We have further groups to meet and we expect these engagements to be ongoing,” he said.

“It is Sinn Féin’s intention that the next government will head the concerns and needs of our family farmers and rural communities and secure the policy changes required to protect their future.

“Now is the time to deliver for the people of rural Ireland and we are determined to do so,” he said.