Tadgh McNally: As a means of gauging the lay of the land, The Ploughing is hard to beat

The Ploughing allows politicians to break free from the political bubble and meet people from all walks of life

Tánaiste Micheál Martin made sure to travel to the National Ploughing Championships this week after returning from his trip in New York, where he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

WHILE the Dáil resumed on Wednesday after a lengthy break for summer, the real political term kicked off on Tuesday in a field in Co Laois, with the start of the three-day National Ploughing Championships.

Now in its 92nd year, “The Ploughing”, as it is known, is far from being just a day out for farmers, rural citizens, and every media outlet, it is also an unmissable event in the political calendar.

This is why multiple senior Government and opposition figures don their wellies and hit the neat, but very mucky, tracks to press the flesh year after year.

It’s an opportunity to meet the public, to canvas for support, and to take questions on issues, particularly on farming and rural matters. As a means of gauging the lay of the land, the Ploughing is hard to beat.

The importance of the event is such that Tánaiste Micheál Martin, shortly after returning from his trip to New York where he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly, hopped in a car and sped down to Laois to ensure he made an appearance at the festival.

Another TD, Fine Gael junior minister Peter Burke spent his morning in Ratheniska before then making a beeline to the Dáil to respond to a Sinn Féin private members’ bill on mortgage interest relief.

But why exactly does an event like the Ploughing matter? What are the benefits of attending for politicians looking to gather up support ahead of the next election?

Typically, the main orbit of politics is extremely Dublin-centric, with TDs from across the country trekking up to the Dáil on a weekly basis.

The Ploughing, however, allows them to break free from the political bubble and meet people from all walks of life milling around the tents and fields on a day out. With over 1,700 exhibitors at the event, it also allows politicians to engage with rural businesses more than they might do otherwise.

It’s an opportunity to reach out and speak to business owners about issues they face, whether that’s operating costs or staffing, and discuss potential policy and solutions that could help.

It can also be an opportunity for the public to see a more human side to politicians they might only see in their newsfeeds. Shiny brown shoes and heels are replaced with wellies and boots, as they traipse through the mud like everyone else.

For opposition parties like Sinn Féin, the idea behind attending will be to shore up support for its own rural-based politicians. The party’s local TD, Brian Stanley, happy to be on home soil, featured prominently behind leader Mary Lou McDonald during media appearances throughout the event.

Sinn Féin itself is not the natural home of farmers, with that group usually courted by either Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or more rural independents.

With over 1,700 exhibitors at the event, The Ploughing also allows politicians to engage with rural businesses more than they might do otherwise. Picture: Alf Harvey

One source in the party admitted as much, saying that Sinn Féin still had ground to make up within the farming community, but said that their engagement with farmers under Ms McDonald had increased compared to under Gerry Adams.

In particular, the party’s agriculture spokesperson, Claire Kerrane, has been vocal in recent weeks surrounding issues faced by farmers, on farm payment delays to the cut in the nitrates derogation.

With the party seeking to court the votes of farmers across the country, Ms McDonald was warmly received as she took to the highways and byways of the Ploughing. She met with key figures in the farmers’ lobby, including the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

However, if a recent Irish Farmers Journal poll is to be believed, support for Sinn Féin is just at 12% among farmers. Commenting on the survey, Ms McDonald said that her party “are very conscious that we have a lot of work to do”.

Likewise, the new leader of the Social Democrats, Holly Cairns, took to Ratheniska on Tuesday to meet and greet the public at the event. She met farmers and IFA president Tim Cullinan, with discussions on the nitrates limit the main item on the agenda.

As a farmer herself, the Ploughing would be natural territory for Ms Cairns, but this didn’t stop some dissenting opinions from those she met on the day.

For Government parties, attending the Ploughing can be a mixed bag. When a Government is perceived as working hand in glove with farmers, it can be a great boon to attend, but when there is tension, there’s a higher chance of a frosty reception.

Nobody will have felt this more than Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, who has found himself dealing with the fallout of the European Commission’s decision to cut Ireland’s nitrates derogation.

On the first day, president of the ICMSA Pat McCormack was asked if he thought the minister would receive a warm welcome.

He was blunt: “I don’t know if there’s any heat here today.”

The changes to the nitrates derogation will reduce the amount of slurry that farmers are permitted to spread on each hectare of their land.

This means that farmers will have to reduce their stock rates or purchase additional land to sustain their current herds.

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue's reception at the National Ploughing Championships was less than warm. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

While Mr McConalogue has been at pains to point out that the higher derogation will not be restored, Leo Vardakar’s intervention on the matter, saying he would invite the EU Environment Commissioner to visit, left some in Fianna Fáil privately furious.

That left Mr McConalogue with a lonely furrow to plough himself on Tuesday during his doorstep interview with journalists where the gathered media were joined by farmers from Cork, who were concerned about the impact of the changed derogation — not just on their pockets, but on the welfare of their animals.

One farmer, John O’Brien, interrupted the media opportunity to question Mr McConalogue on what would happen to surplus cows and surplus farming equipment purchased by farmers.

He cited that the changes to the derogation would make “no difference” to water quality across the country — one of the key reasons why the EU chose to drop Ireland’s nitrates derogation.

“What you are proposing and what you haven’t fought for, what your officials didn’t fight for at European level, is going to make jack s**t difference to water quality,” Mr O’Brien bluntly told Mr McConalogue.

Despite the wet and mucky conditions in Ratheniska, most political visitors will have been happy with the reaction they received on the ground but with an election year looming, they know the real mud-slinging has only just begun.