Support from the main farm organisations for the Nice Treaty was "strong, general and unequivocal", it was claimed at the National Ploughing Championships yesterday.
The claim came from the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, hours after the president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Mr John Dillon, had gone on RTÉ's Morning Ireland radio programme to reinforce the message that he would be urging farmers to vote Yes.
At the championships, attended by more than 55,000 people, the IFA president accused the Government of not doing enough to ensure that vote would be carried.
"We are doing more than the Government. Of course, we want a Yes vote, but the Government should not be looking at us. They should be getting on with the job themselves," Mr Dillon said.
He had been asked by journalists if he thought the main farming organisations were now fully backing a Yes vote and he said he was sure they were.
He said there was nothing conditional about their support, which was growing on a daily basis and was now "strong, general and unequivocal".
Yesterday the PDs, who used the event to launch a poster campaign, were canvassing hard for a Yes vote. Mr Tom Parlon, the Minister of State for Finance, said he was "hoarse" trying to tell farmers why they should vote Yes.
The roadsides on the way to the championships were heavily postered yesterday, with the number of Yes posters outnumbering the No posters by about three to one.
However, the most eye-catching poster warned farmers: "Don't Lose Your CAP . . . Vote NO".