Of course Mercosur was practically the only show in town over the last seven days, whether that town was Brussels, Athlone or Dublin.

Following Friday’s vote in the Belgian capital in favour of the trade deal by the member states, farmers gathered in huge numbers in Athlone. There were politicians of every hue as well as men, women and children from the myriad of farm organisations. Ireland’s “no” vote meant Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors present could mingle comfortably among the throngs.

Then on Tuesday, five members of Government attended the IFA AGM. Micheál Martin gave the keynote address at the dinner on Tuesday, while Martin Heydon, Michael Healy-Rae, Noel Grealish and Timmy Dooley, were joined by the department’s secretary general Sinéad McPhillips.

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The exchanges were robust, but the atmosphere was cordial. It really is an extraordinary level of engagement and access between the country’s largest farm organisation and the Government, and is tangible recognition by Government of the importance of farming to the well-being of the nation.

Francie Gorman made an extraordinary statement that brought some light relief. Speaking on the upcoming vote on Mercosur in the European Parliament, he was reminding Minister Martin Heydon that the EPP, which Fine Gael is a member of, whipped MEPs to vote in favour of the Nature Restoration Law.

“Now, I’m opposed to whips in any situation,” he continued, before pausing as he realised what he had said, while the room dissolved into laughter.

Heydon referred to the Programme for Government as “my bible” when affirming his intention to deliver on the commitments contained within. Healy-Rae employed the old Kerry football maxim that the best form of defence is attack.

When being pressed by IFA forestry chair Padraic Stapleton on progress on issues they had previously discussed, the minister turned the tables: “What I want to ask, is what have you done since that meeting on these issues?” he asked.

One wonders if such a counter-attack will work in 12 months time if the issues remain unresolved. He is the Minister for Forestry, after all.

Environment chair John Murphy might have had the best one-liner of the afternoon. Decrying the EU’s new tax of fertiliser imports, he said: “I doubt that Brazil or Argentina have a CBAM.”

It’s only halfway through Francie Gorman’s four-year tenure as president, but another way of looking at it is that this week saw the third of his four AGMs as president. No less than 17 county and commodity chairs were stepping down having completed their terms of office.

Some of these have high ambitions, and people took note of Pat O’Keeffe and TJ Maher’s words in particular. The IFA’s four-year term rule means that there is constant renewal, but there is a decent recycle rate too.

Sustainability demands no less, I suppose.