In the song, We Didn’t Start the Fire, Billy Joel chronicled the 40 years between 1949 and 1989.

Stitching together a series of headlines from the period, the song is a chaotic synopsis of 40 years squeezed into four minutes.

Listening to it, the words trigger the story behind each headline or leads to a bit of research into those I’d be less familiar with. The song demonstrates that while each generation thinks they are living in a time of upheaval, they’re actually not.

Just like change and its companion, resistance, upheaval is a constant part of society.

The helter-skelter nature of the lyrics come to mind when I think back on the chaotic Irish farming scene in 2019.

The constant splintering of opinion among farmers is going to be farming’s Achilles heel

Another option would be a full farming episode of Reeling in the Years but even then that show is only 25 minutes long so there may not be enough room to squeeze everything in.

To the east, 2019 was the Chinese year of the pig; in Irish farming circles, it felt like the year of the protest. It was hard to keep track of it at times. There were numerous protests under various banners for beef alone and there was a danger of protests turning into a parody and being ridiculed.

It came close to that at times, as witnessed in some videos of farmers struggling to agree with each other in front of the minister.

The constant splintering of opinion among farmers is going to be farming’s Achilles heel and is one of the more worrying outcomes of the year. The sight of farmers arguing over who is right and who is wrong must delight factories and retailers.

A friend with no agricultural background asked me one evening why was there one group representing factories and seven different farm representative groups? They reasoned that this was surely more of a hindrance than a help. It was hard to argue with him.

The challenge now isn’t just to get farmers on the same page, but get them into the same book.

What was also evident is that while the different protests had their merits, there was a large silent majority of farmers who stayed clear for a variety of reasons. Indifference played a part in keeping many away.

What was achieved from it all is yet to be fully seen, however a positive to be taken was that it created an interest in policy and talks that hadn’t been witnessed in years.

Farmer protests aren’t confined to Ireland. They’ve taken place across Europe, as well as Australia, Canada and India.

Rules and regulation changes drive many and are reflective of societal changes and the dwindling number of those connected with agriculture.

Returning to China, unfortunately for pig producers in the world’s most populous country, it’s been a catastrophic year with African swine fever decimating herds. The calamity encountered by Asian producers has rescued the Irish pig sector and remains an opportunity for protein producers worldwide, at least until Chinese pig numbers recover. The priority now is to use our advantage as an island and keep the disease out.

Southern-hemisphere beef producers are getting record prices for their product due to the protein deficit it has created while we wait in hope. The beef price index is showing Irish prices lagging behind but how long will that last?

For 2020, if beef was to enjoy a recovery similar to pig prices it would be great but, being realistic, I don’t see the same rise happening for beef.