New members for FTMTA

The December meeting of the FTMTA executive council was pleased to admit a number of additional firms to the membership of the association.

Merlo UK Ltd is a subsidiary of the Merlo Group, a family-owned manufacturer of a range of telehandlers, attachments, roto handlers and forestry tractors. The parent company was founded by the Merlo family in 1964 and now employs 1,200 people worldwide. The UK company is based in Ringwood, Hampshire, and the website can be found at www.merlo.com .

Zero Grazer is based at Dromone, Oldcastle, Co Meath. The business, led by Niall O’Reilly, is the pioneer of the zero-grazing concept in Ireland and produces a range of zero grazer machines of different sizes and specifications. Zero Grazer can be contacted on 044-966 6919 or by email at info@zerograzing.ie and the website is www.zerograzer.ie .

Ardagh Agri Services Ltd is a retail farm machinery dealer based in Ballina, Co Mayo. The business is led by managing director David Breslin and is a dealer for a range of brands including Tanco, Lely, Kverneland, McConnel, Abbey Machinery, McHale and Quicke among others. Ardagh Agri Services can be contacted on 096-72803 or email david@ardagh services.com and the website can be found at www.ardaghservices.com.

O’Brien Tractors is based in Bunnanadden, Co Sligo, and is a main dealer for New Holland tractors and construction equipment. Adrian O’Brien established the business in 1999 and was subsequently appointed as a New Holland dealer in 2011. The business can be contacted by phone on 071-9183507 or by email at sales@obrienstractors.com and the website is www.obrienstractors.com.

The addition of these four firms rounded off an exceptional level of new members joining the association during 2017. The executive council of the association believes that growing the membership of the FTMTA through the ongoing recruitment of additional members greatly strengthens the association in promoting and supporting a professional and viable farm machinery industry to the advantage of the trade and its customers.

The development of the membership base to be more widely representative of all aspects of the sector (including retail dealers, Irish manufacturers and international manufacturers as seen during December) has been a priority for the association in recent years and will continue to be so.

FTMTA Grass & Muck 2018 closing date

The closing date for FTMTA Grass & Muck is looming on Friday 26 January. This biennial event has become ever more popular with both exhibitors and visitors since it was first introduced in 2010 and will this year take place at Gurteen College on Thursday 17 May.

Application packs have been issued by email to all those firms who had registered an interest in advance as well as to all exhibitors at last year’s FTMTA Farm Machinery Show and FTMTA Grass & Muck 2016. The exhibitor application pack for non-members of FTMTA can now be downloaded from ftmta.ie.