I farm: “Brussels sprouts and cereals in north Co Dublin. We would have lots of different varieties of sprouts so that the harvest can be staggered from around the end of August to the beginning of March.”

Climate change: “Since 2007, we have had exceptionally mild periods in winter. This makes it very challenging to ripen crops at the right time. Crops should be dormant at harvesting but the mild weather makes the sprouts mature slowly over winter; the buttons on the plant get overripe and pick up bacteria. This year the ground temperatures have yet to go down to what they should be, and the air temperatures are way above normal.

“For the last 20 to 25 years you could assume that after October you’d see frost on the ground. But that’s changed now and you might not get frost until after Christmas. It’s playing havoc with us.

“The problem with these extremes is that there is a lot of waste.”

Yields: “We can achieve good yields because we are in a traditional tillage area. We can get anywhere from three and a half tonnes per acre to six or seven tonnes for a good crop. Tonnage varies, but we certainly wouldn’t achieve what they are getting in Holland or the UK, where they have vast land belts to grow vegetables.”

Costs: ”Our cost to harvest, pack and market is around €3,500/acre. Everything we do here is in-house. However, it is becoming difficult to get people who are interested in working out in the fields. They are long days of hard graft and unsociable hours. You would like to be able pay them a premium but when you are under pressure to keep costs down that’s hard to do.”

It’s a very small industry, especially when you consider the fact that we supply 75% of the food on an average dinner plate

Christmas: “Work is a bit mad at Christmas – you have 10 days with all hands on deck. But that’s what it is about. People are surprised to hear that the harvest is actually for six months, not just before Christmas.”

Industry: ”There are very few commercial vegetable growers left in Ireland. It’s a very small industry, especially when you consider the fact that we supply 75% of the food on an average dinner plate. But people keep moving the goalposts and upping the standards in an industry that’s struggling to survive. You can hardly get your boots out of the mud, it is that wet out there, and to bring that into the yard and meet such exacting standards is impossible. The level of waste is sickening.”

Family: “Family members have often worked here over the years. My nephew is here at the moment.”

Quotable quote: ”If you were to ask me where the vegetable industry is going, I couldn’t tell you. Artisan foods have their merits, but it is very niche. At the end of the day, supermarkets feed the masses.”