Former Longford General Election candidate disappointed with Taoiseach’s disingenuous remarks on Independent rural candidates

A former Longford-Westmeath Fianna Fáil General Election candidate Connie Gerety Quinn has this week expressed her deep ‘disappointment and frustration’ with the advice from Taoiseach Simon Harris on national television, urging the public not to vote for Independent rural candidates on November 29.

Ms Gerety Quinn stated, “Such a statement feels not only disingenuous but also dismissive of the farming communities whose livelihoods have been increasingly constrained by government policies under his leadership, his party, and others who supported the Greens in order to remain in power.”

Ms Gerety Quinn continued, “For years, our government, with the Taoiseach at its helm, has supported the introduction of policies and European directives that seem more designed to restrict and regulate farmers than to support them. These policies, crafted by EU academics often with limited or no practical farming experience, force Irish farmers to work under conditions that are disconnected from our nation’s agricultural heritage, traditions, and culture. In any other industry—be it tech giants like Apple and Google, or domestic corporations like (dare I mention) Ryanair—such regulatory control would be unimaginable and I doubt very much would be tolerated by them.

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“Our farming communities, unlike these other industries, are subject to regulations at every turn, leaving them little freedom to farm in the ways they have for generations. These EU-imposed rules, adopted and enforced by our own government, continuously erode the custodial rights that have shaped our rural landscapes and economy. Farming is an essential part of Ireland’s identity and tradition, yet our leaders seem intent on stripping away the autonomy that makes Irish agriculture unique and sustainable.

“It is disheartening that Simon Harris would undermine the role of Independent rural candidates, who are the very voices standing up for these communities, as they push back against excessive regulation and advocate for fair representation. As rural candidates champion the cause of sustainable farming practices rooted in Irish culture, it is these voices, not political platitudes, that will ensure the survival and dignity of our agricultural sector.

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“I hope that farmers remember the past 5 to 10 years under a Fine Gael and coalition led government and do not remain docile but rather find their voices and remember just how powerful they are as a collective.”