The manifesto commits Fianna Fáil to promote the preservation of the environment through good farming practices. These are to be supported by grants and tax incentives to assist on-farm investment and careful waste management.
This will be a key election issue as farmers face the imposition of an EU regulation which will force them to use less nitrates and other fertilisers on their lands. The aim is to protect water quality.
The farm organisations say the regulations will force them out of commercial farming, and while the designation of nitrate-free zones has been put off until after the election, the demand by the farm lobby for grants and supports to store farm waste and run-off water from farms will grow.
The manifesto commits the party to seek to make the Rural Environment Protection Scheme, about which a growing number of farmers have reservations because of compliance costs, more attractive to farmers.
The party also pledged to protect the fundamental principles of the Common Agricultural Policy in the EU enlargement negotiations. It has been under pressure from the farm lobby to do this and to not lose any advantage to applicant countries.
To placate a growing anger in farming circles at the growth in form-filling to qualify for EU farm schemes, it also promised to agree a series of proposals designed to tackle the red tape.