As ever, the 2017 Irish Examiner/ICMSA farming survey provides an invaluable and interesting snapshot of current attitudes and opinions, writes Larry Ryan.

More than half of farmers want a Brexit minister and do not believe the Government is doing enough to prepare for the UK’s exit from the EU.

Places that the boom never reached the first time around now feel they are being forgotten all over again, writes Elaine Loughlin.

The threat posed by Brexit is driving the view that Ireland needs a specific ministry to deal with it, says the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

An opinion poll finding that just 42% of farmers have a private pension scheme is linked to the volatility of the sector and needs to be tackled by Government, according to one of the country’s largest farming organisations.

Most farmers believe the Government should increase spending in next month’s Budget rather than cut taxes.

Farmers would still prefer to see Simon Coveney as Taoiseach, despite him losing out in the Fine Gael leadership contest.

The vast majority of farmers are opposed to a state visit to Ireland by US president Donald Trump, with an opinion poll also finding a majority of rural dwellers believing he will damage America’s global standing.

Farmers are back spending as the recovery finally starts to percolate into rural areas.

THERE has been a slight increase in the number of farmers who are unsure what will happen to their land in future.

The percentage of farmers who are very optimistic about the future of the industry continues to fall, with just one fifth of respondents expressing full confidence.

Europe’s largest pop-up town was a blaze of bright lights last night as the tillage fields of Offaly awaited today’s start of the 86th National Ploughing Championships.

Almost 70% of those living in the countryside believe the divide between urban and rural Ireland is wider than ever.

The Government has stressed that “all means under the law will be availed of to protect the security of the state” as a new poll found that fewer than half of people living in rural Ireland believe sufficient safeguards have been put in place against a possible terror attack.

Everywhere we look, in every sub-sector of Irish farming, we see that uncertainty and vagueness about what the immediate future holds — some will say that that’s the nature of any business — but farming and primary food is different, writes John Comer.

The positive effects of the economic recovery may finally be finding its way into rural areas with fewer people disagreeing that it has benefitted them and their family.

Any cut in the June milk price would be totally unjustified given the Ornua Index remains fixed, the ICMSA has signaled to Ireland’s dairy co-ops.

A major promotional effort is needed to get Irish live cattle exported to Turkey, says Michael Guinan, chair of ICMSA’s livestock committee.

ICMSA president John Comer has proposed that Ireland should pay farmers 10c for every litre less they produce versus 2015 to help correct market oversupply.

The ICMSA has described the Government’s declared policy on the dairy crisis as “lamentable and effectively non-existent” and has called for an immediate focus on the depressed farmer milk price which is seeing a “haemorrhaging” of money out of rural districts.

ICMSA has called for every dairy farmer in the EU to be offered at least 10c for every litre of milk less they produce in 2016, compared to 2015.

ICMSA has put pressure on the European commissioner for agriculture and rural development, Phil Hogan, to live up to his promises to level the playing pitch for farmers, versus what the dairy farmers’ organisation calls “margin-grabbing” retailers.

EU member states have been cleared to offer cash to dairy farmers reduce their milk supply, expected to be about 10c per litre of supply reduction they achieve.