AGRICULTURE:THE PARTY leaders will not be going head to head on Monday when they address the national executive of the Irish Farmers' Association at its Dublin headquarters.
The organisation’s invitation to the leaders to lay out their programme for agriculture has been accepted by Micheál Martin, Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore.
Sinn Féin and the Greens are expected to confirm today.
Special arrangements have been put in place to allow the leaders to speak on their policies but not to engage in debate.
Mr Martin is expected to deliver his programme at 10.30am, followed by Mr Kenny at 12.30pm.
Mr Gilmore is expected to meet the executive at 2pm.
The leaders have been asked to make their presentation to the 53-member executive, which though small in size, has considerable influence over the farming vote, estimated at about 240,000.
A spokesman for the organisation, which has a formal nonpolitical policy, said following the presentations, the leaders would be questioned by the members of the executive.
The media has been invited to attend the event, which also took place during the last general election when all the party leaders took part.
The association is holding a series of meetings in all constituencies outside Dublin and has invited all candidates to make their pitch to the 29 county executives across the State. These started last Monday night. President of the organisation John Bryan has already welcomed the commitments given by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party in their manifestos to defend Ireland’s Cap funding through the EU’s single farm payment.
“The three main parties recognise the importance of a strong Cap post-2013 if the agri-food sector is to realise the potential identified in the Food Harvest 2020 Strategy,” he said.
“Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party are keenly aware of the contribution that farming and food can play in our economic recovery by driving growth in exports and jobs.”
A Red C/Irish Farmers Journal poll of farmers published on Thursday, found 60 per cent of the 500 farmers polled would support Fine Gael in the election, while only 19 per cent said they would vote Fianna Fáil.
A majority expressed a preference for a Fine Gael-Labour coalition, rather than Fine Gael single-party government.