Opposition call €69m agriculture deal ‘stunt’

THE Government has unveiled a €69 million agricultural investment package which it said would create 800 new jobs between now and 2012.

But Taoiseach Brian Cowen was immediately forced to defend the timing of the announcement after the opposition criticised it as an election stunt.

There was nothing cynical in the announcement as the idea had been “in train for some time”, he said.