Farm leaders, including Tom Parlon of the IFA and Frank Allen of the ICMSA, got something of a surprise when they arrived at Kildare House to discuss the draft report on the Future of Farming on Wednesday. The chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, John Ellis, apologised for the poor attendance - only he and four others from the 19-strong body had turned up. "Livelihoods are at stake," Ellis explained and it was a "life and death situation".
The farmers, all 15 or so of them, looked at him in amazement as he stole their lines and then they began to laugh. In case they had got the wrong idea, Ellis quickly added that he was referring to the local elections. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes.