The first real salvo in the IFA presidential election was fired on Tuesday, with Martin Stapleton at the helm of a Limerick delegation outside the Department of Agriculture’s head office on Kildare Street, protesting over delayed payments and TAMS hold-ups.

The protest, I’m told, was on the back of farmer frustration expressed to Stapleton on his canvass. It’s highly unusual for a single county to hold a protest on national issues. The last was probably Tim Cullinan about four years ago. It worked for Tim, but will lightning strike twice?

Francie Gorman, meanwhile, stayed local on Tuesday morning, fulfilling a prior commitment to attend the formal launch of the National Ploughing Championships, before heading to the Irish Farm Centre for the September IFA council meeting.

The fields for the two main contests are now decided, but there’s still some last-minute movement in the three regional chair elections. I understand that Mark Connors, the Waterford dairy chair, is in the Munster race, with Cork central chair Conor O’Leary likely to join him.

In Leinster, Kilkenny’s Paul O’Brien, the current national environment chair, Pat Farrell, who has previously held that role and ran for deputy president in 2016, and Wicklow chair Thomas Byrne are in the conversation.

Meanwhile, in Connacht, Mayo’s Brendan Golden, the national livestock chair, James Gallagher, the former Leitrim county chair, and Sligo’s Kathleen Henry are the names in circulation. Nominations close on Tuesday next.