On Wednesday 26 June, Macra hosted its annual lobbying day.

We conducted our lobbying day a bit earlier than usual this year, as we decided to catch the members of the Dáil before they rose for the summer.

For this day, we took over a boardroom in Buswells Hotel and invited all TDs and senators to come across the road to meet with us and discuss the issues that face young rural dwellers and young farmers.

Lobbying for some of those with whom we wish to speak is a photoshoot. For others, it is an opportunity to hear from the youth of Ireland, who are invested in their communities and want to see a future in rural Ireland. As to how successful our efforts were, time will tell in the coming months.

What we can say is that our members came from far and wide to put their views across to our elected representatives. Our members are the best advocates for our organisation and our communities.

The question sometimes arises from people not involved in the lobbying process, what do you look for? It’s a fair question and it is imperative that all of our members know what we are looking for.

You will see an image on this page of the Macra Pre-Budget Submission 2025. That is what we lobby on.

We are currently working off five action areas:

What I hope is clear to all is that our asks all tie in together. We are not putting the needs of one sector of our communities above the needs of another.

Without any one of the five action areas, rural communities are not sustainable. Talk about supporting the family farm model is nothing but hot air.

Farms need a vibrant community around them, and the community needs viable farms to ensure that it too can survive.

The dogs on the street are telling us that there is an election in the air. I will not comment on this as it is a matter for the Government.

What I will say is that when the election is called, I hope that all of our members and supporters can put 10 minutes aside to read our pre-budget submission.

This is what those who come looking for a vote should be asked to respond to, these are the deliverables for rural Ireland. Anything less than what we have looked for in the submission will not stop the decline in rural Ireland.

Any Government TD should be asked why some (very few, we hope) of our asks were not delivered. Opposition TDs should similarly be asked to give a public statement of support in relation to our asks in the pre-budget submission.

A copy of the pre-budget submission is available on the Macra.ie website.