Speaking on the Path To Power podcast this week, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that farmers “bring costs on Ireland” and suggested that people in urban areas are “the ones paying all the bills”.
During an exchange with broadcaster Matt Cooper, Varadkar argued that the relationship between agriculture and the wider national interest has shifted in recent decades.
He said that while farming had historically aligned with Ireland’s broader economic interests, that was no longer necessarily the case.
“If you look at most of Ireland’s history, what was good for farmers and the wider agricultural industry was what was good for Ireland,” he said.
“…And I think what we’ve seen happen in the last 10 or 20 years…is we’re now in a space where things are actually starting to go the other way – what’s in the interests of farmers in the agriculture industry is by and large not in the interests of Ireland as a nation.
“And that’s starting to play out, and farmers and people in that sector don’t quite realise that yet.
“They 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.”
Varadkar also rejected claims that Irish agriculture is central to feeding the country, saying this is “also not true”, and that Ireland imports a significant portion of its food and agricultural inputs.
“We now have so many cattle in Ireland that we can’t grow enough grass to feed them,” he said.
“So we bring in grain from South America, from Mercosur countries, to feed the cattle, and we bring in oil-based fertilisers from other parts of the world, and that then pollutes our rivers, and then we all pay the bill.”
He acknowledged that farmers had followed policy signals in expanding production, and said frustrations within the sector were understandable.
“I think they can reasonably turn around and say ‘You told us to expand dairy production, you told us to go down this route of farming, and now you’re changing your mind again,’” he said.
“A bit like the bog rewetting – ‘You told us to drain the bogs, now you’re telling us to rewet the bogs.’”
Varadkar also pointed to what he described as differing perceptions between rural and urban Ireland, suggesting there should be a more direct discussion about subsidies and taxation.
“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,’” he said.
“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 comments prompted a critical response from some on social media, including one Fianna Fáil TD.
Cork-East TD James O’Connor criticised Varadkar’s remarks and his continued interventions in public debate following his departure from politics.
“Leo’s urban bias balaclava slips,” O’Connor said.
“He should do his Fine Gael colleagues a favour and go into the quiet night to enjoy his private life.
“It goes against the precedent of Iar Taoisigh by commenting so actively on government policy and social issues and is corrosive to his ‘legacy’.”
Varadkar stepped down as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael in 2024 and has since taken up a role in the private sector.
The Mercosur trade agreement, referenced in the discussion, has been a source of political debate in Ireland, particularly among farming organisations and rural representatives concerned about competition from South American agricultural imports.
Agriculture remains a significant part of Ireland’s economy, with the sector receiving support through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.