Government formation: Crucial talks to take place this weekend

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD.

Government formation talks will resume today as Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and The Green Party edge closer to agreement.

Yesterday, the Taoiseach said there's a strong possibility that all sides can agree a deal over the weekend.

Any plan will have to get approval from party members - Fianna Fáil and the Greens have to do so via a postal ballot.

Leo Varadkar says he hopes that farmers and rural Ireland will be pleased with the upcoming programme for government.

There had been much speculation on how agriculture and regional development policies would take shape as the marriage of ideologically opposed partners attempt to find common ground for government.

"I sincerely hope that when farmers and people living in rural Ireland and those who are dependent on the rural economy, when they open the programme for government, they'll be pleasantly surprised by the content," he said.

- Additional reporting Aoife Moore