This weekend I’ll be in Brussels for a series of meetings of the European Network of Agricultural Journalists management committee. On Friday night we will join with our Belgian colleagues for a networking dinner, always an enjoyable and informative occasion. It’s funny, but whenever I meet with my fellow ag journalists from across the world, we seem to have plenty in common when it comes to the issues we report on back home.

So whatever problems face farmers in Ireland, you can bet your bottom dollar that their comrades in other countries are fighting the same battles

Low farm incomes, the older age profile of farmers, rural isolation, climate change and the worrying disconnect between food producers and consumers are hot farming topics virtually right across Europe, the USA and Australia.

So whatever problems face farmers in Ireland, you can bet your bottom dollar that their comrades in other countries are fighting the same battles. I’m lucky to once again have been chosen by RTÉ to travel to Tokyo this summer to work at the Olympic games as I have done in Beijing (2008) and Rio (2016).

But you know what? As exciting as it will be and as much as I love sport, I feel most at home and most privileged to work in agricultural journalism. And it is a trade with a long and proud tradition on this island.

It is one of over 40 such guilds dotted across the globe

In 1961, former Irish Farmers Journal editor Paddy O’Keeffe and some other leading luminaries of Irish agricultural journalism from north and south, met in Dundalk and from there the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland was born. And next year the guild will celebrate its 60th anniversary. It is one of over 40 such guilds dotted across the globe. And it affords us reporters an opportunity several times a year to attend events focussed on farming and food organised by our international sister organisations.

Begin a discussion about climate change and agriculture and it is inevitable that we will get it in the eye from listeners and readers who don’t agree

Agri journalism may not enjoy the profile of sport or politics but it remains more important now than ever. The discussion about the role of agriculture in global warming is quite adversarial. It is divisive and bitter and on more than one occasion in recent times, I’ve found that the messenger is being shot.

Begin a discussion about climate change and agriculture and it is inevitable that we will get it in the eye from listeners and readers who don’t agree with the facts being presented. In this age of confirmation bias, it is astounding how people feel not only entitled to their own opinion, but to their own facts too. It is classic Trumpian stuff. And it is dangerous.

They can showcase this now without recourse to writing letters to newspapers and texting radio programmes

It provides those of us working at the coalface of agri journalism with an important challenge to do our best to present the facts and dispel with the myths and spin as best we can. But it is worrying when campaigners ignore the balance in favour of the narrative which best suits their agenda.

And they can showcase this now without recourse to writing letters to newspapers and texting radio programmes.

I know that this is something my international colleagues will have experience of also

They can just spew it all out unfiltered on Twitter. It may have always been thus but the undermining of traditional journalism – by influential politicians and campaigners in the climate debate in particular – is leaving ordinary citizens keen to make the correct decisions to mitigate against the destruction of the planet quite confused.

And I know that this is something my international colleagues will have experience of also when the subject is undoubtedly brokered over a Belgian beer this weekend. It’s not just farmers across Europe that face the same challenges, it is us agricultural hacks reporting on what they do that face our own common challenges too.