The government is losing the support of farmers.
A new Irish Farmers Journal survey shows 72 per cent would give their first preference vote to a farmers' party if one emerged.
34 per cent of farmers support Fine Gael, down 4 per cent from December, while support for Fianna Fail stands at 23 per cent.
Only one in five farmers surveyed think Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue is doing a good job.
Pat McCormack, President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, says political leanings in rural Ireland are changing:
"In the past, I suppose, if they weren't happy with Fine Gael, they went and voted for Fianna Fáil, if they weren't happy with Fianna Fáil they voted Fine Gael and vice versa over and back. This time around, they're not happy with either, and they are doing a lot of soul searching because there's an awful lot of talk about what needs to be done from an environmental perspective, but there's rarely any interaction with the farmers."
