8th September 2001

THE Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development has confirmed that it is very pleased to facilitate the holding of the forthcoming National Ploughing Championships.

In a letter to the National Ploughing Association, which is being circulated to all stand holders, the Department said that it acknowledges the contacts between the NPA and itself in ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place in connection with the event. If the island of Ireland continues to remain free of foot and mouth disease, the Department is confident that the implementation of agreed measures will enable the event to be held in circumstances, which provide the necessary level of comfort as regards precautions against the spread of the disease.

The Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association in order to allay the concerns of members about the event requested the letter of comfort from the Department of Agriculture.

These concerns were brought into sharp focus by the recent fresh outbreaks of the disease in the UK. The Departments Expert Group is meeting this morning (Thursday) to finalise the precautions needed for the Ploughing Championships.

Same drops out of Ploughing 2001

Same Deutz-Fahr has informed its dealers that it is withdrawing from this year's National Ploughing Championships.

The move is in response to precautionary measures put in place by the National Ploughing Championships in association with the Department of Agriculture. These measures were issued to UK companies in the past week and were requested because of the ongoing foot and mouth disease issues in the UK.

These measures required that potential visitors to the event, who have visited a UK farm within 21 days of the National Ploughing Championships, are requested not to attend.

Same Deutz-Fahr felt that the notice "effectively prevented them from exhibiting at the Ploughing Championships." The notice would require that company representatives, who had planned to come to Ireland, would be prevented from visiting UK farms at any time after September 11. Same Deutz-Fahr as Europe's largest tractor producer felt that it must be seen to act responsibly in what the company called this "unique trading environment".

Broom heads AEA

Mark Broom who is well known to Irish Valtra-Valmet tractor and Massey Ferguson dealers has been nominated as chairman of the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) Farm Equipment Council in the UK. Mark is managing director of Valtra Valmet.

Before that he was general manager at Massey Ferguson in the UK and worked in various positions within Massey Ferguson over a period of almost 25 years.

Motokov move

MOTOKOV Ireland has moved to a new location at Cherry Orchard Industrial Estate in Dublin, not far from the company's previous location at the Long Mile Road.

The new premises, has been upgraded to provide facilities for the distribution of the Zetor, ZTS and other ranges of tractors and machinery as well as Barrum tyres.

The new address for Motokov is 28 Cherry Orchard Industrial Estate, Dublin 10 and the telephone number of 01-6268822. The company can also be contacted by email at sales@motokov.ie which has been the company's regular email address.

On a wider front, the Czech government has appointed a "Revitalisation Agency" to sort out Zetor's affairs. This move has brought about an improvement in tractor supplies after a lean period in 2000.

The agency expects to select a new investor for the company by the end of this year, from a shortlist of three interested parties.

Courts and creditors have approved debt settlements with Zetor and in June of this year the company reported its third successive month of profit since the Revitalisation Agency took control.

Hardi profits drop continues

Hardi, the Danish based sprayer maker and subsidiary of the giant Auriga Industries Group, has reported a trading loss for a second year in a row, despite a 6 per cent increase in sales turnover.

Profit figures in the Auriga annual report show a further decline in 2000 over the 1999 levels and this is reflected in a lower equity base at the year-end. The other two companies in the Auriga Group are Cheminova and Skamol. Cheminova is a major plant pesticide supplier across the world.

Turnover within the group has more than doubled since 1996, while profits have increased by over 36 per cent. The overall Auriga Group remains profitable.