I hail from Killeigh, Tullamore in the faithful county of Offaly, where we keep 60 suckler cows with all progeny, except replacements, brought through to finishing. Recently, we have also been testing the water with a couple of pedigree Simmentals under the prefix of Limelight. I place a key emphasis on the use of AI for breeding good suckler-bred stock, retaining females bred without dairy genetics. I also do some work with Moocall part-time.

Challenge for agriculture

I think that the biggest problem will be attracting young people to take over family farms because only 5% of farm holders are under 35 years of age. Young people should be rewarded for taking the chance in a very uncertain industry at the minute.

Whether it is through more Government subsidies or enhancing their knowledge with the likes of Teagasc, Something must be done now as this problem will not get better if we do nothing.

Career in agriculture

I will most certainly be working in the agricultural industry. I’m not sure what company I would like to work for but I will figure that out with time. I will also be playing a key role in the farm at home but hopefully my father will manage for a good few years yet.

The winning UCD team being presented with their prize.

Debating

I applied initially to get over the fear of speaking in front of a crowd. But, along the way, I have gained much more. It was the people I met, the relationships established with staff in UCD and the networking. To meet and talk first-hand with people involved in the industry; for that alone it was very worthwhile.

What did you learn in terms of Debates, waste, veganism and CAP?

Ireland has a huge advantage to produce cheap food sustainably with the climate that we have. We must capitalise on this and the idea of reducing numbers seems ridiculous to me. If anything, we should increase production because the void will be filled by other less efficient and less sustainable countries.

With the whole vegan debate, we as producers need to make it very clear how we produce our food. This information needs to be passed on to the consumer rather than them billboards with false prejudice information. The truth will always prevail and if we handle issues such as bull calves coming from the dairy herd correctly the industry will keep flourishing as it has done.

Subsidies are vital for the sustainability of Irish family farms. We cannot compete on a global scale simply because we don’t have the scale. If we go down the factory farming route, we will tarnish our image that we have created for ourselves.

Policy

I feel as if farmers should be rewarded for being efficient. So, when you hear the likes of a payment to be made per cow it doesn’t make sense. Why not pay farmers for hitting key performance targets instead, which would lead the change for more efficient beef production in this country.

Opportunities

I see opportunities to grow the dairy and beef enterprises in this country, while also increasing efficiencies within the farm gate. We must keep our competitive advantage as we are exporters of products. If we need to, we can change our systems at the farm level. We can do this for the betterment of the sector. Overall, the whole industry is hinged on the farmers, so they must be treated with the due respect and paid a fair price.

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