Rural communities and the future of family farms will be the focus of a meeting between Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald, general election candidates Pauline Tully and Matt Carthy, and Cavan/Monaghan farmers this weekend.

Mary Lou McDonald is travelling to the constituency tomorrow afternoon to meet with farmers in the Cavan/Monaghan area to hear first-hand the issues facing farming families.

Ahead of the meeting, the Sinn Féin President has said:

“Sinn Féin lends it unwavering support to rural communities and over the course of tomorrow we will outline how our policies will help protect small farmers and boost rural communities.

“Both of our candidates in Cavan/Monaghan, Matt Carthy and Pauline Tully, have been at the forefront of highlighting the major issues facing the agricultural sector.

“As an MEP for the Midlands/North West constituency, Matt Carthy has been an outstanding advocate for rural Ireland and has been a strong and unrelenting voice in the European Parliament in relation to how European policy is impacting on farmers and their families.

“Pauline Tully, along with Matt, was amongst the first to stand with beef farmers against the processing factories, the beef barons and the retailers.

“In Cavan and Monaghan, Sinn Féin has been to the forefront of the beef protests, standing alongside farmers and rural families”.

Pauline Tully said:

“I am looking forward to welcoming Mary Lou to the constituency. It is clear to the people of Cavan and Monaghan that there is a desperate need to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in order to make it fairer for smaller, family farms”.

Matt Carthy said:

“In government, Sinn Féin will immediately establish a Commission on the Future of the Irish Family Farm, which would be made up of independent experts, farming representatives and statutory agencies.

“This Commission will be tasked with producing a comprehensive set of proposals to save our family farm network and will be implemented by a Sinn Féin Minister for Agriculture”.