The Prince of Wales visited the 200-cow herd of Shane Fitzgerald in Co Waterford on Thursday as part of a royal visit.

Fitzgerald said the visit was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I did feel very relaxed, because it’s just like a conversation that was so normal, he didn’t seem like he was royalty at all.

“Over the years, policy has driven farms towards monocultures and I suppose the removal of certain hedgerows and things like that.

"But things are changing now. I think we want to show that we’re improving our sustainability. He recognised that and he said to me before he went away 'keep reducing your carbon'.

"I think it’s important that people recognise that farmers are trying to do the right thing,” he said.

“We gave him some honey from our own hives on the farm. He was delighted. Only for we ran out of time, he would have come in for a cup of tea as well,” he said.

Teagasc sustainability adviser Cathal Somers told the Irish Farmers Journal that the prince asked plenty of questions on Fitzgerald’s farm.

Clover

“We chatted about grass and clover systems that they would use in organics and that we’re trying to implement them on dairy farmers.

"On the multi-species swards, he was really interested in that. We had a right chat and he asked lots of questions. He commented on the root sizes and soil and the comparisons with the UK,” he said.

Prince Charles on the farm of Shane Fitzgerald in Waterford on Thursday, speaking to Teagasc adviser Cathal Somers. \ Claire Nash

The royals also visited Grow It Yourself (GIY) Ireland and Waterford Distillery on Thursday.

Prince Charles said that it has been one of their “great ambitions to visit every county of this majestic land before senility totally overtakes us”.