Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Progressive Democrats will have a high-profile presence at the National Ploughing Championships in Ballacolla, Co Laois, in the run-up to the Nice Treaty referendum.
They have booked space at the largest agricultural event of the year, which will take place from September 24th-26th.
The parties know this is their best chance of reaching the important farming vote before the referendum. More than 100,000 people will attend the event over the three days.
The championships, which were cancelled last year because of the threat of spreading foot-and-mouth disease still ongoing in Britain, will be held on the farm of Mr David Lalor, Ballygogue House, who is providing 300 acres for the main ploughing events which will involve 310 competitors.
However, that is only one part of the site as there will also be 300 acres of car-parking, 50 acres of trade exhibitions and other machinery demonstrations.
There will be 650 trade stands, many of which have been booked by overseas exhibitors. For the first time, there will be a number of trade exhibitors from New Zealand.
According to Ms Anna Marie McHugh, who arranged a press conference on the site yesterday, the event will cost about €1.5 million to stage.
She said most of the 25 miles of electric cable required for the show had been laid down, and provision for the 50,000 gallons of water needed daily had been made. There will be 100 toilet units and 30 catering units.
The site, which was used two years ago for the championships, has an excellent road network but the National Ploughing Association (NPA) will again this year provide five miles of steel trackway through the site.
In recent years there has been an increasing number of livestock competitions at the ploughing event and this year livestock from Switzerland will be on display.
On display too will be South American Alpaca, which Mr Andre Day, who breeds them with his partner near Edenderry, describe as super sheep.
The Alpaca, he told journalists yesterday, were bred for their fleece which was used in the fashion industry and delivered 10 times the price of sheep wool.
The Alpaca, he added, did not have to be tagged or tested for TB, did not suffer from foot rot or fly catch and could provide a real alternative to farming sheep.
RTÉ will be one of the major exhibitors to mark 50 years of RTÉ television. Ms McHugh said that apart from the large Garda presence, there would be 500 voluntary stewards to help oversee car-parking.