The FTMTA Machinery Show held in Punchestown last week was the biggest I ever remember. The attendance also seemed large but anyone I met was questioning a number of issues.

Not surprisingly, the tillage sector was heavily represented and one constant comment was the lack of choice for tillage farmers in the crops they can grow and the way the energy sector is closed off to them. Comparisons were constantly drawn between Britain, Denmark and Germany, with the government encouragement in these countries given to farmers rather than corporates.

The UK example was striking. I was told sugar beet has come back into the rotation as a feedstock for on-farm anaerobic digestion plants.

With the current UK incentives, the most reliable figure is that a tonne of sugar, worth about Stg£22.50 when it is sold to British Sugar for processing, is producing approximately Stg£90 worth of electricity if sold into the grid. Not surprisingly, there is a significant farmer interest in anaerobic digestion plants in the UK. Here, there are only a handful because the incentives are geared away from farmers – some changes are expected to be announced by Minister Denis Naughten but I suspect the Government has more immediate issues on its collective mind.

The other issue that struck me forcibly was the myriad sources of finance now available

The other issue that struck me forcibly was the myriad sources of finance now available. There is little doubt in my mind that the traditional Irish banking sector is being bypassed by many of those in a position to do so.

Giving almost zero interest on deposits while charging over 12% on ordinary consumer term loans has made many wary of dealing with them in any substantive way.

Last week, I was mesmerised to be told of a new platform allowing money to be lent by ordinary citizens at 6% to 8% – the money is then aggregated and lumped together and lent on to a business looking for credit. Because deposits are not taken, the whole system seems to be outside any centralised regulatory framework. Those participating by putting up hard-earned cash should do their homework but the concept is interesting and symptomatic of the times.

At the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show itself, it was very clear that machinery manufacturers and many distributors had access to their own sources of finance and again, were bypassing the traditional players.

Full coverage: FTMTA Farm Machinery Show

Dempsey at Large: huge crowds at FTMTA Farm Machinery Show

At the FTMTA show, it was very clear that machinery manufacturers and many distributors had access to their own sources of finance and again, were bypassing the traditional players.