The financial statement from the National Ploughing Association (NPA) for the year ended January 2025 shows a loss after tax of €150,926.

Turnover at the company was €5.96m, down from €6.15m the previous year.

This drop in revenue came despite attendance at the ploughing championships reaching 244,000, a 20% increase on the previous year’s rain-hit attendance of 200,550.

Administration expenses came in at €6.68m, down from €7.1m for the year ended January 2024.

The average number of monthly employees was 16, three lower than the previous year.

Total assets

Total assets on the balance sheet of the NPA stood at €11.79m, the lowest level since 2014.

Financial assets, such as cash at bank, fixed term deposits and prize bonds, made up the majority of the company’s assets, with €281,947 of site, office and computer equipment.

The NPA’s fixed-term deposits were revalued €418,632 higher during the year and the profit on disposal of financial assets amounted to €234,657.

These gains helped to significantly reduce the losses from operating the ploughing championships in 2024.

The NPA has confirmed that the 2026 ploughing championships will be at the same venue, Screggan, Tullamore, as the 2025 championship, which saw attendance of 225,000.