The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has thrown its weight behind Eir’s bid for the national broadband roll-out plan which will involve a mixture of public and private investment to provide nearly a million business premises and homes with broadband.

The other bidders for the project are Siro, a joint venture involving the ESB and Vodafone, and Enet.

IFA President, Joe Healy said Eir has demonstrated a commitment to rural Ireland and has a track record of delivery for rural residents.

"Eir is extending its network where our members live and earn their living, as well as bidding for the National Broadband Plan," he commented.

Managing director of Open Eir, Ireland' s largest supplier of Wholesale broadband, Carolan Lennon welcomed the endorsement:

"No one has done more than Eir to provide access to high-speed broadband in Ireland. The job is not done, but we are focused on rolling out broadband in rural Ireland as far and wide as commercially possible.

"When completed, we will offer service to 80% of the homes and businesses in the country," she added.

More than 80,000 farms in Ireland are located in broadband blackspots.