Leo Varadkar’s remarks that the agricultural sector often “bring costs on Ireland”  have been criticised as “nonsense” by one young farmer. 

The former Taoiseach made the remarks on the Paths to Power podcast, in which he reflected on the economic divide between rural and urban Ireland. 

Mr Varadkar said that urban Ireland needed to be “blunt” with rural residents that, “We’re the ones paying all the bills and you’re the ones in receipt of a lot of subsidies and a lot of tax benefits that other people don’t get.”

He added that farmers “still see themselves as the people who bring money and jobs into Ireland, where actually a lot of the time they bring costs on Ireland”.

On Lunchtime Live, farmer and TikToker Eoin Lynch said he found the remarks “annoying”, arguing that the former Taoiseach “doesn't have a clue what's going on behind the scenes”. 

“Look at inheritance tax like,” he said. 

“That's a crazy amount of money for any young fella that wants to inherit a farm; if a neighbour's leaving your land or whatever, you have to pay a serious amount of inheritance tax. 

“How is a fella 25 years of age meant to come up with that kind of money when you're trying to raise a family and stuff? It's just not possible, like.” 

A farmer in walking behind a herd of cows on Valentia Island in County Kerry. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Mr Lynch continued that the argument about subsidies is “nonsense” and that many farmers are “working all around the clock”. 

“Farming is a gamble, it's weather dependent,, you know what I mean?” he added. 

“Contractors, they can't be out in the lashing rain, cutting silage, they have to get a good day for it, that's the day they're making money. 

“What happens if you get rain for two weeks, you're not making money for two weeks, you're sitting at home, fixing machines, whatever. 

“It's a weather dependent job.”

Main image: Leo Varadkar. Picture by: European Union.