University College Dublin (UCD) were the overall winners of the 2020 Great Agri-Food Debate held in Belfast at the end of February. We asked the winning team members to give us their thoughts on debating and where they see agriculture heading in the future. This week, we hear from final year food and agribusiness management student, Tommy Meade.

About Tommy

“I grew up on a family sheep and suckler farm in Meath and I have always had a huge passion for both business and the food industry (along with GAA and jiving). I am known for being a bit energetic and a people person. Back in 2018, I studied at Purdue University in the US through UCD’s study abroad programme. I previously worked with Irish Country Meats and the Meade Potato Company in sales, procurement and managerial divisions.”

Challenge for agriculture

“The drive towards urbanisation, away from everything life needs to survive, such as food and water is a major challenge. I believe that the monoculture of crops and animals is putting pressure on the system. When we over populate a particular species, evolution will try to balance it. This needs to be managed.

University College Dublin were crowned the overall winners of the 2020 Great Agri-Food Debate which was held in Belfast at the end of February.

“I think there needs to be a massive cultural change. When I look at a painting or a house I think of the artist or the architect. How many look at food and think of the farmer?”

Debating

“Some people look at debating as a piece of research, some as public speaking and some see it as a mixture of both. However, I don’t and this is what sets me apart. I look at debating as a tactical sport, with points and scores to win. In our preparation, I focused on how we can achieve the most amount of points per speaker.”

Our team

“What makes us a great team is our differences. They bring conflict and the fire created adds to the energy and ideas within the group. Sometimes this goes unrecognised in great teams. We knew and respected what each one of us brought to the party. We spent a long time at the start arguing for both sides, so we could plan and understand what the opposition would come at us with.”

Tommy Meade comes from a sheep and suckler farm in Co Meath.

What it takes to win

“To make a wining debating team, you need different skill sets. I won’t give you any names, but we had all of these people:

  • The brains – Someone that makes the teams arguments believable.
  • The all-rounder – Someone you can count on to deliver a home-run every time.
  • The happy-go-lucky – Someone to settle people down when it gets a bit heated.
  • The Irish parent – Someone to keep everyone focused.
  • The good looker – Good looks sell, not only products but also arguments (*reference provided by Tommy – see below).
  • The crowd pleaser – Debates can be boring. Sometimes you just need a bit of humour to wake people up.
  • “Performance is important. You need to relate to your audience and make analogies with things people recognise. As you only have four or five minutes to deliver a message, there isn’t time for complex arguments. Know your audience. What’s your take-home message? Strip it back, make it clear.

    “We can learn a lot from some of the world leaders in how they speak. If you say something enough, it becomes accepted. The power of three – repetition, repetition and more repetition. Don’t write a speech. Say it and write what you say.”

    * Ahearne, M, Gruen, TW and Jarvis, CB, 1999. If looks could sell: Moderation and mediation of the attractiveness effect on salesperson performance. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 16(4), pp.269-284.

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    UCD bring home the bacon in agri debate