The "criminalisation" of farmers, falling farm incomes and the problem of suicide in rural Ireland were among the issues raised by the three candidates for the presidency of the Irish Farmers' Association at a debate held by Macra na Feirme yesterday.
They outlined their views to mark what they all accepted was the start of the "blood sport" season in advance of the elections later this year.
The contestants, Pádraig Walshe, Laois, Ruaidhrí Deasy, Tipperary, and Raymond O'Malley, Louth, had been given a five-minute slot each by the young farmers.
Before an audience which included former taoiseach Albert Reynolds, Mr Walshe said farmers were "underpaid, underrated and undermined".
He accused the State of attempting to criminalise farmers by their over-regulation indicating that farmers were either criminal or incompetent.
He said he would fight for the freedom to farm, which had been promised in the last reform of the Cap.
Mr Deasy, who said he would not be contesting the post again if not elected, devoted much of his speech to an attack on bureaucracy, both local and EU-inflicted.
The IFA had negotiated tolerable levels of inspection but civil servants had gone behind the backs of the negotiators and created even more bureaucracy.
Mr O'Malley said EU farm policies delivered under the churchmanly idea of a United States of Europe was being sacrificed in the World Trade Organisation negotiations to stimulate industrial growth and this was a wrong policy shift.
As production costs increased and income declined, he urged farmers to look at alternative enterprises such as energy production or waste management and he called for unity within the IFA between the different producer groups.
The candidates were asked to account for their positions last year when the IFA had tried to downgrade Macra na Feirme by setting up its own youth section.
All three presidential hopefuls stressed the need for young people to become active in IFA politics.
All of the candidates claimed to have wanted Macra people appointed to the various IFA committees.
The hopefuls fielded questions on the national milk pool, milk prices and the nitrates directive, and while all agreed no one emerged a clear winner, there was general agreement that both EU and Irish civil servants had a bad day.
On the levels of suicide in rural Ireland, they all pledged to work with the Samaritans to help reduce it and to use the resources of the organisation to help combat it.