There will be no furrows ploughed in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow, next week for what should be the biggest week in the farming calendar – the National Ploughing Championships.

The national brown bread competition, Enterprise Ireland Innovation Awards and next year’s Ploughing venue announcement will all take place next week at Ploughing 2020, albeit under radically different circumstances to the norm.

Anna Marie McHugh, assistant managing director of the National Ploughing Association, told the Irish Farmers Journal that these events will be done virtually over the three days for Ploughing 2020 on 15, 16 and 17 September.

There will be a range of virtual engagements

The NPA is asking companies that usually exhibit at the Ploughing to send in videos with messages for the public.

“We are conscious of the exhibitors, anyone who wants to showcase their business case share it on social, so that people can be reminded of Ploughing products and leave their contact details. There will be a range of virtual engagements [on NPA social media],” she said.

Qualifying classes for next year’s world ploughing contest will take place on 6, 7 and 8 October.

We’ll have a maximum, between competitors and stewards, of 100 people each day

“That’s dependent on the HSE guidelines. If we got into trouble we’d be looking at the end of October or early next year. We’ll have a maximum, between competitors and stewards, of 100 people each day,” she said. Local ploughing matches were due to start this Sunday for next year’s National Ploughing Championships, but they too have been postponed until further guidance is issued by the HSE on events.

It’s a volatile business

Despite the event not going ahead this year, staff who have been working with the NPA since the start of the year have been kept on, McHugh said, but there will be no seasonal staff.

In 2001, foot-and-mouth disease showed the reality of what can happen to an event like the Ploughing, McHugh said.

“It’s a volatile business and there was awareness after we had to cancel a day in Tullamore [two years ago],” she said.

Turnover

McHugh said that with a turnover north of €6m, the NPA has a rainy day fund.

We’ll have no income this year

“We’re a couple of years eating into that rainy day fund. That’s what it’s there for. There was foresight in our association to put it away. We’ll have no income this year,” she said.

The Ploughing is worth up to €45m to the economy, with McHugh saying that it affects counties across the region.

“The people in local areas, in petrol stations, the staff for the week of the event, the B&Bs, the hotels, the bus companies; there’ll be a big impact on them,” she said.