I am not eating that.” Our food is the first thing upon which we assert ourselves, whether that is turning a head away from the breast, refusing the bottle, or developing a distaste for vegetables when we are children. We then move to choosing what we will or won’t eat in adulthood, without the threat of the wooden spoon or the loss of dessert. These choices can consist of a life of beer and beans over milk and vegetables in college, to something more serious that can have a long-term impact on our lives and our health – such as what can happen by succumbing to misinformation and fad diets. And of course our ability to choose can unfortunately be removed through illness, eating disorders or poverty.

Amii and her daughter at the National Ploughing Championships 2018. \ Philip Doyle

Cooking and food were never far from my mind last week. Each day (unfortunately bar Wednesday), the Irish farmers Journal stand was packed with those keen to see our resident chef Neven Maguire demonstrating just how easy it is to create beautiful dishes in a short space of time. It really was fantastic to see young and old so engaged with the process and so interested in the tricks that Neven kindly shared.

Renowned American food writer MFK Fisher once said: “First we eat, then we do everything else.” It is really no wonder that food politics thrives in so many facets of our industry. Social media has highlighted the veracity in which people hold their own opinions over others. We know the slogans ‘breast is best’, ‘five a day’ and now ‘meat-free Monday’ and ‘free from’ are part of the everyday language of a lot of people. Recently, I attended an event at which a nutritionist was speaking. She started her presentation on the plate and how much of it should be made up of carbohydrates (1/4), protein (1/4) and colourful vegetables (1/2). Then she asked the audience, of approximately 30, if there were any vegans or vegetarians. No hands were raised, bar one girl who was “a vegetarian, but I eat fish”, the nutritionist slightly stunned said “that is a big surprise”. This made me think, has education, food curiosity and/or concern become the preserve of people moving away from the traditional balanced diet to more selective decision-making?

Baker and cookery writer Mary Berry, who unfortunately had her Ploughing trip curtailed to Tullamore by the storm, advised in Irish Country Living just two weeks ago that our education systems need to do more to support children to learn to cook, saying it is a skill that will “serve them for life”. Seeking out a qualified nutritionist is a healthier approach than relying on the world of the internet influencer. And although today the politics of our food stretch well beyond what a nutritionist can advise on, it is good to think that people are seeking out information from educated and informed sources.

I want to thank everyone who already completed the IFA diversity survey which was launched at the Ploughing. This survey is being carried out to identify ways of increasing diversity and women’s participation in farm organisations and is available on both the IFA and IFJ websites.