MAIREAD MCGUINNESS HAS said she does not think there should be a farmers’ political party in Ireland. 

The EU Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland radio programme that she does not think there should be “one party for one sector” but added that it was a possibility in a democracy. 

The idea was brought up in August when The Irish Farmers Journal carried out the survey amoung 1,982 readers that found 72% of respondents would give their first preference vote to a farmers’ party.

The Irish Independent also reported at the time that the Farmer’s Alliance intended to run candidates in the next local and national elections.

However, McGuinness said that farmers in general “are not united” to the same extent they were in previous decades. 

“I think what’s very clear, since I’ve been involved in European politics and previously in journalism, farmers are not united,” she said while discussing the National Ploughing Championships taking place this week. 

“And I think that’s very clear because of the different enterprises. There’s less unity among farmers today than there was in the early 2000s and that doesn’t help farmers have a coherent voice.

“I don’t think there should be one party that has a voice for one sector. But of course you respect what will happen and democracies allow for that.”

Instead, McGuinness said “a good and honest conversation” was needed about implementing changes in the industry. 

“I think what we need is a good and honest conversation about how do we facilitate the change, and how do we take away the fear and indeed anxiety that many farm families feel today,” she said. 

The commissioner said that farmers were “anxious about being targeted” and that they “want to be part of the solution” rather than the problem. 

“And frankly, we will not get the change we need around climate, around biodiversity loss and nature restoration if we don’t work with our farmers, and the truth is many farmers are already getting on with doing what needs to be done.”

She described the festive atmosphere at the Ploughing Championships while emphasising the role farming plays in society.  

“I think without them we won’t eat. So we need them to produce and to look after our environment and the vast bulk of farmers will do that and want to do it better.”

McGuinness also spoke about the incoming reduction to farmers’ nitrates derogation, which allows for denser herds as long as farmers offset environmental impacts in other ways. 

McGuinness reiterated the position that the European Commission will not be renegotiating the reduced limit and said that the Environmental Commissioner would visit Ireland to meet with politicians and farmers. 

“That will happen,” she said.