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SUPPORT FOR FIANNA Fáil among farmers has hit a low of 14%, while over half want to see a new political party specifically for rural and farming communities.
That’s according to a new survey of 1,516 farmers conducted by Opinion Research on behalf of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) and farming news site Agriland.
The survey was carried out between 4 and 10 September and the respondents included farmers from all sectors.
It shows that only 14% of farmers plan to give their first preference vote to Fianna Fáil in a General Election.
Fine Gael support among farmers meanwhile is almost double that at 27%.
Meanwhile, 16% indicated that they would vote for independent candidates, and both Independent Ireland and the Farmers’ Alliance have 14% support among farmers.
The Farmers’ Alliance grew out of a Facebook page set up by Donegal farmer Liam McLoughlin who claimed last year that “hundreds of farmers” contacted him after becoming frustrated by issues within the sector.
It’s not entirely clear who will be standing for the Farmers’ Alliance but the party says that it intends to contest national elections.
The survey also shows that 50% of farmers feel that Ireland needs a new political party specifically for rural and farming communities.
Agriland editor Stella Meehan said the results are “interesting as many would assume that Fianna Fáil – which traditionally would have been considered a ‘farmers’ party’ – is not as
popular with the agri-sector as one would have thought”.
She also noted that was interesting also to second to Fine Gael, individual independent candidates get the most support from respondents.
Meehan said this could indicate a “disillusionment with current government policies and personalities and a desire for a new party, one which specifically represents rural life and farming”.
Speaking yesterday, Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said his party’s policies are “very focused on rural Ireland”.
He also pointed to additional investment in Irish Water, and said wastewater is a “key issue” in rural Ireland “in terms of an inability to build more houses and get more housing through the planning system”.
Meanwhile, 96% said they wanted to be consulted more on development of agricultural policies and 82% said rural Ireland is not receiving adequate investment in infrastructure like roads and broadband.
Around 80% also said that the EU’s ‘Green Deal’, which aims to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050, has had a “negative impact on their economic viability”.
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The desire for a new political party is not confined to the farming/rural community. A huge number of people are not represented by the present FFGg unholy alliance, but the only potential opposition is the Loony Left, and they are even further removed from what many people want.
@Thomas Sheridan: So, you want a new far-right party to add to the various far-right micro-parties that exist already?
Good: it will split the that vote further.
@Thomas Sheridan: FF and FG need to be untied by being hampered from strong positive decision making by their three legged race.
@Brendan O’Brien: how about, right wing? Or maybe centre right. I don’t think that far right appetite exists in Ireland. I mean I haven’t seen any planning permission sought or granted for concentration camps or gas chambers over here.
@Jonathan Kennedy: It certainly exists on the part of Thomas and various others, to judge from comments on this site. Some people would be more than happy to have concentration camps and gas chambers. And we already have centre-right parties, such as FF and FG.
Does the far left exist? I haven’t seen any efforts at gulags.
@Thomas Sheridan: so removed, that they were arguing for the 14 billion apple tax for years. Stood up to Irish water. The wealthy would love you and believe they are looney.
Makes perfect sense to look after societies less well off. Remember , history, it’s the peasants that revolt and over turn governments. Are they all looney.
@Brendan O’Brien: not a far right party, just a party that would prioritise the needs of Irish citizens ahead of those who are here illegally.
A party that represents the interests of 66% of Irish people who think enough is enough.
If that sounds like a far right concept to you, so be it!
@frank dowling: It is estimated that there are 26,000 to 30,000 undocumented (i.e. ‘illegal’) people living in Ireland – a tiny percentage of the population – so why the hysteria?
Most are presumably working in the black economy, as they wouldn’t be able to claim any kind of benefits.
Farmers voting for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael is like turkeys voting for Christmas
@common sense: When the left got power in places like Vietnam and North Korea they nationalised farms and caused hunger and poverty.
Rural areas get enough handouts, they need to learn to live within their means.
@brian o’leary: Sour grapes from a townie. Everyone pays tax, whether urban or rural, we get it back in different ways. eg, people in rural areas might think tax-payer funded cycle lanes and bike sheds in urban areas are a waste of money.
@brian o’leary: Handouts like what? Are you suggesting people in rural areas are not paying taxes?
@brian o’leary: Remember where your food comes from.
@Athena: the amount of tax collected doesn’t cover what is spent, where does the rest come from?
@brian o’leary: comes from the bit left over from children’s hospital ha
@brian o’leary: a bold statement, now some facts and figures to back it up please ?
@Colin Marry: what food? you’d swear we only ate steak and milk for every meal going off what this country mainly produces
@Colin Marry: yeah most genetically modified. And killing us.
@brian o’leary: Farmers get EU subsidies, the majority in rural Ireland are not farmers and at that, low to medium sized farms are scooped by the big farmers, who became the new gentry when Britain left the South of Ireland. There was a farmers party called the Centre Party who joined up with Cumann na nGhaedhael and the National Guard to become Fine Gael, those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.
@Hayagriva: You might to check that out,we produce a lot more than steak and milk.
@Colette Byrne: Rubbish !
@brian o’leary: Put forward the figured.
@r k: not all of the Local Property Tax collected in Dublin is spent in Dublin, about 15% is used to help fund rural councils where there is a short fall. Look it up, its no secret.
@Brian D’Arcy: subsides and grants generally come from taxpayers in large urban areas where tax surplus is produced, rural areas are generally a net loss for exchequers.
@brian o’leary: Figures, please.
Based on your reasoning, this means …. What? Everyone should move to Dalkey to balance the books?
You do know population in rural areas the same size as Dublin or Cork are smaller, often combined with lower incomes than the cities, don’t you?
So of course tax takings such as income tax or LPT are lower, where salaries and property values are lower.
Please explain what handouts are going to rural areas (I take it you’re not talking about book or food subsidies in schools).
@Athena: the lpt figure is 15% of dublins that’s transferred ( handed out) to rural areas. To balance the books maybe you could spend less or increase you own lpt to cover your costs?
@brian o’leary: I accept your point, will you accept that when water charges were dropped in Dublin, government raised motor tax to fund free water for the poor Dubs, paid for by the rich Culchies with their fancy cars,while at the same time the rich Culchies paid for their own water supplies through group water schemes.
The “yous” brigade love spouting nonsense about farm payments, majority of farm produce is exported, resulting in huge money pouring into the country, government use these funds for various things of course,some is used to subsidise the loss making farmers to keep that revenue stream flowing, but it’s easier to ignore that…
@r k: the net figures in terms of tax collected v tax spend will generally show a shortfall in rural areas and a surplus in the larger urban areas, hence the transfer from city to county.
@brian o’leary: Again, what type handouts? What amounts for what purpose?
@Athena: the cost per capita to provide standard household services is higher in less populated areas – more economies of scale in the city with bin collection, for example, where a bin company can collect a lot more bins in an hour in Tallaght than it can in rural Kilkenny. So the LPT collected per household in Dublin goes a lot further than its equivalent in a rural area
@Athena: again, 15% of dublins lpt gets transferred (handed out) to rural councils , which they spend on numerous things. Look up what the lpt gets spent on.
Considering ff bankrupted the country and the historical abuse of women and children they enabled and throw in the grift that the haughty and his like carried out, It’s safe to say at least 14% of irish citizens would support the devil as long as they where ok
A party that helps our “stewards of the land” to stop the water pollution, and to increase biodiversity.
@smatrix mantra: for that you’d need a party to have the nuance to be both pro-rural and anti-agribusiness, which is very unlikely given the voting inclination of farmers
14% for FF, ouch!
Hmmm. A party which understands and supports the circular economy and realises the value of immigration to rural communities.
Great plan. The Healy-Rae’s definitely for senior ministers and Lowry for Taoiseach. What could possibly go wrong?
Since SF became a woke party also voting Yes for thee last referendum, and the total nonsense of open borders, many are actually seeking an alternative that does not exist yet in Ireland. Although it will be very small at the beginning, if i was the parties in power and the main one in opposition, i would watch that space.
But something tells me if a new party dedicated to their communities and fighting corruption appears, they will grow very fast in the mind of people. They could be made from every horizon, as long as they would do the right thing and stay honest.
I know I sound ridiculous, but this is as much we are use to the bunch in place and think there iss nothing else we can do.
@Dominic Leleu: Tell me what country in the world has open borders, more far-right crap
@Brian D’Arcy: Ireland. Hop on a plane anywhere in the world and somehow end up at Dublin Airport and say the magic words and your in. Alternatively, sail from the UK to NI, hop on a bus from Belfast and you’re in.
So, so, simple.
The farmers want their own party so that the raping the environment can continue unabated and unimpeded. There’s money to be made and the lads wanna hang on to it.
God forbid they’d ever have to change in ways that make them uncomfortable.
GB (pop 65 million) has six parties in the House of Commons (Labour, Conservative, LibDems SNP, Reform and Plaid Cymru). ROI (pop 5.2 million) has 8 parties represented in the Dail (FFGreen, SF , Lab, S Dems, PBP Solidarity and Independent Ireland. Something seems amiss.
@John Manahan: Jeremy Corbyn is trying to create a new party.
@John Manahan: it’s called proportional representation
@John Manahan: And yet, none of the 8 represent hundreds of thousands of Irish people.
@John Manahan: but it could be amiss in GB and not Ireland.
A Farmers Party? It existed for a few years in the 1920s but after the civil war “farming interests” were co-opted by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Problem is there are varied farming interests and those farm families feeling the blunt edge of economic circumstances now think their interests are not served by FF-FG – nor by Brussels policies.
@Garreth Byrne: Yes and as a party they recommended free second level education 50 years before it happened.
And also wanted to set up free health care but guess who came down upon them like a tonne of nicks?
SFesque policies are a vote looser for FF across all the productive sectors of society
Healey Rae Son D’etre would be my suggestion.
@Nigel Baldock: You only wish you had cute hoors like the Healy Raes’ working for you in the cities ……
@jak: More rubbish…. !
I welcome the move : more for that new party, less for FF or FG
By all means let them have their own party. They live in a fantasy land. Ming called their bluff during the European elections. When one of them was on a radio debate with him and was whining on about the nitrates derogation. Ming said that it only affected about 300 farmers in his electoral area and so was not worth talking about. End of conversation!
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