The country's largest farm organisation is not going to ask its members to vote Yes to the Lisbon treaty and, in an unprecedented move, may even call for a No vote after the gulf between the government and farmers widened yesterday.

Padraig Walshe, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), said there will be “definitely no Yes vote” from his 85,000 members unless the government agrees to threaten to veto a reduction in trade tariffs at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.

Both Fine Gael and Labour have called on the government to concede the demand ahead of the June 12 polling day but Dermot Ahern, the foreign affairs minister, again ruled it out yesterday.

In a separate development, Mary Wallace, the junior health minister, said she believed a second referendum will be held if voters reject the Lisbon treaty on June 12.

Wallace was responding to a comment made by a constituent in Dunboyne who claimed the government will ask Irish people to vote a second time if the answer is No. Wallace said: “Well, you’re a very intelligent man, because you’re right.”

Afterwards the junior minister confirmed that she felt a second referendum would be held, pointing to the precedent set with the Nice treaty in 2002.

Seamus Kirk, the Fianna Fail party chairman, dismissed the suggestion, saying there is no further room for negotiation on the treaty.

There is growing concern among Yes campaigners that without the support of farmers, the government faces a difficult task in securing victory in the referendum. The IFA is to hold a 53-member national executive meeting on Tuesday where a decision will be made.

Walshe warned that farmers’ attitudes — already stacked two to one against Lisbon — were hardening. Farmers are alarmed at the concessions being agreed on behalf of the EU by Peter Mandelson, the trade commissioner.

Other IFA sources said the prospects of a No recommendation from Tuesday’s meeting are growing, despite “back channel” communications between the IFA’s headquarters and the taoiseach’s office over the past week.

Walshe said he could not understand why the government would not indicate it was prepared to use the veto since Michéal Martin, the minister for foreign affairs, had described the existing proposals as “unacceptable” and pointed out that the government had the option of a veto.

“There will be a lot of farmers and county chairmen on Tuesday looking for a No vote and there will be others that don’t want to go there,” he said.

“I couldn’t call it but I can guarantee there won’t be a Yes and there is a strong possibility it could be a No.”

A smaller body representing dairy farmers, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, will not recommend a No vote but will decide at its national council meeting on Wednesday whether to call for a Yes vote or make no recommendation.

Pressure is still being applied on the government to go further

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