Early bird catches flak from farmers

FOR Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith the day began early at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy, Co Kildare, yesterday. He was on site before 8am for a Newstalk interview with Ivan Yates, himself a former agriculture minister.

Yates predicted the minister would receive plenty of flak from farmers trying to cope with a plethora of problems, including low prices and a wet summer. The minister accepted it was a difficult time for farmers and said he fully understands their concerns.

He outlined the actions he had taken at European Union and national levels to alleviate their plight and detailed the resources allocated to agriculture.