Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has visited a farm outside Letterkenny and also met with sheep farmers at Raphoe Mart.
It’s part of a nationwide consultation he is carrying out as discussions on the Common Agricultural Policy continue.
At the end of last month, the EU approved a draft new Common Agriculture Policy, with governments now formulating their own national plans, which must be done by the end of the year.
At the time, Minister McConalogue promised to consult widely, and this week he visited Raphoe Mart, which held one of its largest sheep sales for the year with over 2,000 sheep offered for sale.
The sale comes ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid Ul Adha which begins next week, and always generates strong demand for Irish sheep.
Minister McConalogue told farmers he stands firmly behind them, but he cannot control or interfere with prices. He said he the Department are continually seeking new markets for Irish produce, and are also working on plans to develop a National Food Ombudsman or Regulator office, as a means of delivering greater levels of transparency for the sector.
