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Speech at the National Ploughing Championships

Ratheniska, 22nd September 2015

I am delighted to be back here in Ratheniska to open the 84th national ploughing championships.

Mar ceann de bhuachphointí na bliana, bím féin agus Saidhbhínn ag súil le teacht anseo agus an deis a bheith againn bualadh le dhaoine ó cheann ceann na tíre, leo siúd a bhfuil bainteach le hearnáil na feirmeoireachta agus go háirithe leo siúd a bhfuil ag obair ar son leasa tuaithe na hÉireann agus a muintir. Is ceiliúradh é an Comórtas Treabhdóireachta ar saol na tuaithe sa tír seo, ar an fheirmeoireacht agus orthu siúd a bhfuil gafa leis, agus is mór an phléisiúr dúinn a bheith anseo arís inniu.

As one of the highlights of the year, both Sabina and I look forward to coming here and having the opportunity to meet people from all over the country, and all those involved with the farming sector including those organisations working for the welfare of rural Ireland and its people. The Ploughing Championships are a celebration of rural Ireland, of farming and of those who farm, and it is an enormous pleasure for us to be here again today.

The success of the Ploughing Championships is a truly remarkable achievement. It continues to go from strength to strength each year and last year saw a record attendance of almost 300,000 visitors, reflecting how the championships have evolved over the decades, remaining relevant and important in the fast changing world of modern agriculture.  The Championships are now the largest outdoor event anywhere in Europe and with any luck and a bit of fine weather the numbers might be even higher this year.

The beauty of the Ploughing, for that is how the people speak of it, is the incredible variety and richness of what there is on show and I look forward to having the opportunity to visit some of the various stands over the course of the day.

I think that one of  the most important aspects of the Ploughing Championships is that not only is it celebrating farming and rural Ireland, but it reminds us all of how important farming and farmers are to the Irish economy and to Irish society.

I am aware of the many challenges facing family farmers at the present time, including extreme unpredictability in relation to grain and livestock prices and, for dairy farmers, a dramatic fall of 30% in milk prices during the past two years. There can be no doubt that the environment in which farmers work is a volatile one with difficulties that need to be addressed.

We should never forget the significant and profound role that farming plays in our society, one that must never be reduced to that which the market allows it. Farming connects us to one of the most basic and fundamental of human activities – that is, the production of food that is necessary to sustain human life. Our farmers are keeping alive the ‘endangered language’ of interconnections between man and nature, which carries within it the knowledge to ensure food security.

Farming families are the bedrock of our rural communities – they are the ones who drive the rural economy, who build and maintain our rural organisations and institutions, and it is they who act as custodians for our rural heritage and landscape. 

The importance of family farming was recognised last year by the United Nations who declared 2014 as the Year of Family Farming, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to address the Teagasc/IFA International Conference in Family Farming last December.

Ninety percent of farms across the world are family farms and family farming remains the predominant form of food production in both developing and industrialised countries. Families have, indeed, been the very backbone of farming life in Ireland for countless years, each family member tuned into the seasonal nature of the work and his or her role in that enterprise, and there can be no doubt that all members of society benefit from the balance that a viable family farming sector provides.

There has been a great deal written and spoken in recent years about sustainable development and about the mistakes that have been made in planning and development in Ireland and how these mistakes contributed to the great difficulties that we have had, and we must have the courage to acknowledge that and draw wisdom from it.  As we work to repair the damage that has been done, building sustainable rural communities must be accepted as a key goal for the future.   It would not be possible to have sustainable communities in rural Ireland without a strong family farming sector. 

We should recognise too, that agriculture and food production is central to the type of sustainable economic development that we are now invited to pursue as we address sustainability in a globally responsible way. We need to recognise that agricultural production and the agri-food sector are central pillars of Ireland’s real economy and have been central to our economic recovery.  It is essential that agriculture remains at the centre of any new models of growth and development which we seek to put in place.

These are times of great change in agriculture. The future sustainability of the sector demands that production be undertaken hand in hand with environmental responsibility. Farmers, through their stewardship of the land serve a vital role in our society in producing healthy food while safeguarding our shared environment including our wildlife, our air and our water.

The challenges of climate change place an additional demand and responsibility on farmers to ensure that they play their part in global efforts to reduce emissions.   They can contribute an energy and wisdom to these challenges.

Ireland comes to these global challenges with a number of natural advantages, key among them our temperate climate which favours a grass based livestock production. Grassland management and forestry offer opportunities for farmers to offset emissions from elsewhere in the sector. As in other sectors, our response to climate change will require agriculture to look beyond business as usual and while presenting real challenges for the sector, will also offer new opportunities. There is need for a generous and innovative approach among all parties to achieve this.

It is greatly reassuring to know that the Irish agricultural industry is placing particular emphasis on harnessing the broad experience, expertise and knowledge of the Irish agri-food sector and ensuring that its collective wisdom is used to deliver future growth in ways that emphasise the improvement, development and adoption of truly sustainable processes.

This, of course, requires support for the development of technologies and processes that increase productivity in a way that allows more efficient use of limited resources. That is a positive and progressive step, and one to be very much welcomed.  Ireland has natural advantages for food production, but it is in the areas of quality and traceability rather than in scale of production that we have our greatest strengths.

It will be essential then that family farmers in particular are supported, enabled and resourced to take advantage of the opportunities available, particularly, for example, by ensuring access to new technologies and the provision of rural broadband. While the quality, integrity and volume of the agricultural product is important, of equal importance is the ability of the communities who, through their farming and way of life, are making a rich contribution to our society.

New technology and modern farming practices bring new dangers.  As with so many workplaces in a technological and globally competitive age – and farms must after all are first and foremost, as a place of work, - increasingly sophisticated work methods can create a growing pressure to complete tasks quickly. This means that our farmyards have changed rapidly and now carry myriad risks. This, combined with the inherent unpredictability of agricultural work, calls for a greater than ever need for safety awareness on our farms, and I am looking forward to visiting some of the stands dealing with this now urgent issue.

That sixty per cent of workplace fatalities occur on farms, despite the fact that farm workers account for just six per cent of the work force, is a deeply worrying statistic that must cause us all to reflect on the changing environment in which farmers and their families live and work.  This year eleven people to date have lost their lives on Irish farms.

That this figure is four times greater than the second most dangerous occupational sector in the country, construction, is a salutary and sobering reminder of just how hazardous our farms can be.  It emphasises the importance of adequate training, precautions and effective procedures being put in place to reduce the many hazards and dangers that present themselves on contemporary farmyards. We hear and read too regularly of tragic deaths that have occurred on farmyards around the country. 

It is, of course, important to acknowledge that ensuring safety on farms is a somewhat more complex task than that which faces most workplace managers. The vast majority of our farms are required to play a dual role; as a place of work, but also as a family home; a home which often must cater for several generations of the same family. Children and the elderly appear to be particularly vulnerable to farm accidents. Of the thirty tragic fatalities which occurred on Irish farms last year, nine were adults aged over sixty five, and five were children. Indeed farms are now the most dangerous workplaces in Ireland for children, in a country which has become increasingly where health and safety aware.

Continuing to foster children’s interest in farming and allowing older generations to remain involved in the ongoing development of the family farm, whilst ensuring they are not exposed to risk, has become an increased concern and significant challenge for many farm managers.

We must resolve to place farm safety at the very heart of our growing agricultural industry and thankfully there is already much work underway aimed at reducing both these worrying statistics and also the many non fatal accidents which occur on farms every year. 

Last year we saw this country’s first National Farm Safety Awareness day, organised by the Irish Farmers’ Association and the Health and Safety Authority. This year that valuable initiative was repeated and will, I hope, become a regular feature on the Irish farming calendar.

2014 also saw the founding of Embrace FARM, an organisation which has a poignant connection to the Irish Ploughing Championships. Established by the family of Liam Rohan, a talented ploughman who represented Ireland four times on the international stage but who died tragically following an accident on the family farm in 2012, Embrace FARM honours Liam’s memory by dedicating itself to increasing awareness of farm safety.

It is critical that we aim for and achieve a day when farms are, not only a place where the wisdom of generations connected to the land are treasured, but also safe workplaces in this country, when children can spend their early years in safety preparing for a  life in farming. We must always remember our great duty to protect not only our precious land and environment, but also those for whom the land is a way of life.

Today, however, is a happy event for the farming community and it is a great pleasure to visit here every year and see friends and family come together to participate in the many activities which are available over these three days. There will be music and song performances all day on the bandstand. Every form of craft and product is being showcased. The enterprise village will generate, I have read, over €30m worth of business but, above all, it is very heartening to see so many families here together enjoying this great annual occasion.

May I conclude by thanking and commending all those who have worked so hard to make these championships happen. I know that without the involvement of Laois County Council, an Garda Síochána, local residents, land owners, skilled  workers, clubs and rural organisations it would be impossible for an occasion of this magnitude to come successfully together.

Is mian liom chomh maith mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl d'Anna May McHugh agus dá fhoireann as ucht a gcuid oibre, a gcuid tiomantais agus a gcuid paisean chun a chinntiú go néiríonn chomh maith leis an Comórtas Treabhdóireachta bliain i ndiaidh bliana. 

I must also, of course commend and congratulate yet again Anna May McHugh and her dedicated team who work with such commitment and passion all year around to ensure the success of the National Ploughing Championships.

And finally may I thank all those, from home and abroad, who travel here each year to support the Championships and ensure it continues to grow and flourish.

I am delighted to declare the 84th National Ploughing Championships open.