President visits the ploughing championships where alongside the competition are many discussions on the future of farming.
President Mary McAleese opens the 2003 National Ploughing Championships taking place in Ballinabrackey, County Meath. The president praises the resilience and positive attitude of farmers, even in the face of recent difficulties.
The mood here is that people look forward to the future.
Fifty thousand people attended today, many taking the opportunity to update themselves in the latest developments in farm machinery and all manner of business aimed at the farming community.
Ploughing festival organiser Anna May McHugh from the National Ploughing Association is very pleased with the number of trade stands at this year's championships.
As we became nearer to the date, people got very, very interested and once again wanted to come.
An extensive livestock section and traditional displays of horse-drawn ploughing and threshing from times past were as popular as ever.
President of Macra na Feirme Thomas Honner made a surprise call for one farming organisation to represent Irish farmers, instead of the current three.
I think there should be one organisation representing farmers.
Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh supports this call,
Having one single coherent voice with a well funded, well researched organisation would probably be in the best interests of the industry.
Irish Farmers Association leader John Dillon also agrees, but the smaller Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Organisation is against the proposal, and the Cattle and Sheep Owners’ Association said they would have to think about it.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 19 September 2003. The reporter is Joe O’Brien.
