Sarah O’Sullivan highlights the plight of some horticultural producers. Not one of these companies feature for grant aid from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding Phelim O‘Neill outlines here. All are meat and milk companies with the grant aid split evenly between both sectors. Why is this?

One definite problem is the fresh fruit and vegetable sector doesn’t have the capacity to invest as it is dealing with issues such as weather, labour, etc, and its fresh produce survives or doesn’t survive at the behest of the supermarket trade.

Secondly, the number of producers is at an all-time low so there is no critical mass. It’s similar to what is happening to liquid milk producers – the slow demise of the industry continues.

So the milk and meat sectors get the grant aid and Enterprise Ireland support, yet at every opportunity some ministers suggest we need to diversify farmer produce.

At the same time tillage, dairy and beef farmers are getting hit with new rules to limit output.

The need for joined-up thinking continues. We all know a strong meat and milk processing sector is required. However, we need the spend in the right place at the right time. For Irish farmers, the impacts of Brexit are only beginning as the UK and EU free trade deals are only starting.

Tractor diesel price positives

Not all costs have fallen like green diesel but the positives are welcome. This time last year, tractor diesel was retailing for about €1.50/l and now it is about 90c/l.

That’s a significant positive for tillage farmers and contractors as cereal crops start to ripen and second-cut silage crops thicken up.

It’s no reason to become complacent as the machinery sector knows only too well sustainability and environment protection are not going away.

However, the output capacity of new machines is something to behold when you see the array of machines at the FTMTA show this week in Punchestown.

The investment by companies and contractors to deliver a better service is hugely significant.

Contrast this to the feature in our machinery section this week, highlighting the 40-year anniversary of the round baler and look at what has transpired in the last 40 years.

Farming changes quickly and no doubt will change even faster in the next 10 years.

It looks like the physical size of machines may have reached a limit and now the innovation is in new technologies such as GPS control and automatic shutoffs when overlapping alongside the lighter weight of machinery.

Tributes pour in for late Irish Dairy Board CEO

Former Irish Dairy Board (Ornua) chief executive Noel Cawley was laid to rest on Monday this week and not many working in the dairy, beef or horse sectors weren’t touched at some stage by his wisdom and skill.

To this day, the legacy of starting to sell Kerrygold butter in the US market through the investment in a transport company (DPI) lives on.

While the shares in the transport company owned by Ornua have been sold, the legacy of Irish-branded butter sales continues to return for Irish farmers.

For all his help down through the years to farmers and the horse industry we say thanks and extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Anita, daughters Lisa and Claire and the entire Cawley family.