Former Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has come under sustained fire for the past 24-hours for comments he made which were seen as disparaging to farmers and people living in rural Ireland.
His comments are also being seen as unhelpful to the government led by a Coalition of his former party and Fianna Fáil who are already under pressure and accused of being out-of-touch after national fuel protests brought the country to a halt in infrastructure points while the government’s handling of the crisis led to public support for the protesters.
On the Path to Power podcast, Leo Varadkar, said that:
“People in rural Ireland are very quick to tell people in urban Ireland that ‘We’re the real workers, we’re the ones paying all the bills, we’re the ones feeding the country.”
“I think maybe we need to be a little bit more blunt in urban Ireland and say actually that’s not the case, we’re the ones paying all the bills, and you’re the ones who are in receipt of a lot of subsidies and a lot of tax benefits that other people don’t get.”
The discussion with host Matt Cooper also heard that a high percentage of food consumed in Ireland is imported, but critics hit back, saying that Ireland exports the vast majority of beef and dairy products.
Amongst the criticisms of the former Taoiseach’s comments was the enormous growth in public spending under Fine Gael’s governance. “He has no credibility at all. FG doubled the size of the state, under his watch, with Donohoe as FM. This is the supposed ‘centre-right’ party,” was one comment.
Clare farmer and former CEO of the Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers’ Association, Eddie Punch, said that Varadkar’s assertions were a “shocking intervention from the former Taoiseach.”
“He has let the mask slip about what he really thinks about farmers. Going by 2026 events, is this a wider view in FG/FF circles?” he asked.
Many comments expressed resentment at being ‘lectured to’ by the former Taoiseach. “This is Leo’s 2nd abandoned career. Now we just get to read him and be lectured to. Nice work (and pensions) if you can get it,” said one post.
Commentator Jonathan Mills asked: “Where does one begin with this [Varadkar’s] statement? Coming as it does from a man who; Struggles to walk down the street in Dublin without Dubliners abusing him as a traitor. Has never had a job that wasn’t paid for by all of us together. Has never explained his sudden resignation.”
Entrepreneur Karl Deeter said without farmers we would be without food. “It is objectively true that cities provide the jobs and pay all the taxes. But without the farmers we don’t eat – and the EU, govt and anybody else can f*** right off trying to curtail the one thing we do excellently (food production). I accept the carbon footprint of farming with open arms,” he wrote.
Another popular post on X read: “I would take 1 Irish farmer for 100 Leo Varadkars. Varadkar, Fine Gael, & Fianna Fáil have destroyed Irish borders, demographics, society, social cohesion, & the housing market.”
Speaking to Gript today, Offaly Independent TD, Carol Nolan said that Mr Varadkar was an “ambassador of the Chattering Classes” and described his words as putting the “nail in the Fine Gael rural vote”.
“Lecturing Leo and his pathetic commentary probably did more to put the nail in Fine Gael’s rural vote than anything I have heard in quite some time. Rural Ireland has many challenges to deal with. We don’t need this kind of cheap commentary from the Ambassador of the Chattering Classes.”
Commenting on the controversy, Aontú said that “when FG politicians retire, they say what the party really believes.”
Peadar Tóibín also told Gript: “It’s been very clear that Fine Gael have been involved in closing down rural and regional Ireland for the last twenty years. Farmers at the moment – especially young famers – are leaving the land. A third of farmers are living on poverty and only a third are actually making money.”
“It is the case that we as a country are dependent on rural Ireland and dependent on farmers in many ways – the government needs to realise that to grow this country in a healthy way, farmers need to be able to make a living,” he said.
Independent Ireland candidate for the Galway by election, Cllr Noel Thomas, described Mr Varadkar’s comments as “disgraceful”, telling the Sunday Independent: “As far as I am concerned, most people in rural Ireland work hard each day and contribute enormously to the tax take.”
There are so many people in the country who are getting a lot for nothing. And they get none of the services that the urban dwellers have like water mains, sewerage, paths, lighting and get a lot less playgrounds and other amenities.
“Rural dwellers do not begrudge the urban dwellers for having these extra services, as it’s obviously population driven. But it is shameful for Leo to be coming out with statements like this.”
And he added: “What an awful lot of people are fed up with is the fact that there are so many people in the country who are getting a lot for nothing — and then there are so many of the middle-line people who are working hard and they’re getting nothing other than tax. And that’s really starting to get up people’s noses.”
“Some people on social welfare and some migrants — that is something that is coming up a lot. People are looking at the money being spent and they’re saying: ‘Why isn’t this money being spent to help us?’”
Not everyone disagreed with Mr Varadkar however. “Leo Varadkar is right. Ireland is being held hostage by certain communities. But it’s not an urban / rural divide. It’s an old versus young divide. For too long Ireland has been held hostage by the older generation. Time to change,” said one comment.
Another praised the podcast: “Fascinating commentary from a policing perspective on all the events of last weekend. Well worth a listen for anyone interested in how it developed and ultimately ended”.
But others felt that his comments embodied “the arrogance and lack of care that this FF/FG government showed towards farmers, hauliers and small contractors during the fuel protests.”
“He now decries the tax incentives given to farmers which he once championed as a benefit of EU membership. In reality the EU regulations are crippling rural Ireland and FF/FG are letting it happen,” Luke O’Connor said.