Last Sunday from early morning, people from as far as west Cork and Donegal started to flow into Butterfield Estate near Tullamore for what is clearly established as Ireland’s leading one-day livestock show.

There is no doubting the passion, enthusiasm and hard work associated with bringing cattle, sheep and horses from all parts of the country.

They came in horse boxes, pulling cow boxes behind jeeps and vans, some new, some old, each with a special local story about what makes their animal stand out from the rest.

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It showcases what is so good about the livestock sector – the network and spin-off from the livestock sector.

Of course they are not all full-time farmers. Many, if not most, are working off farm, but in one way or another they are linked into working land using livestock. The majority spend what they make on the farm and indeed in rural Ireland, in local communities.

Now that beef prices have reached close to €8/kg, one of the debates that came up again and again at the Irish Farmers Journal demonstrations on the day was the concept of ditching any schemes and support and, with that, the bureaucracy and red tape that’s involved. It all sounds so good in theory.

Genuine concern

This same narrative came up a lot in the run up to the Brexit referendum in 2016 – no red tape, freedom to farm etc. In Northern Ireland, I believe it is a genuine concern now in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland that if they attach too many conditions to new, non-EU farm payments, that farmers will decide not to bother with them.

So far, I understand that only a small number of Northern Ireland’s dairy farmers have taken that approach since the milk price went over 40p/litre (47c/l).

If there are no farm payments, court is the only other option to ensure compliance – and that costs both sides a lot of money.

However, I don’t see beef and sheep farmers south of the border dropping out of the EU farm support system. The payments have been crucial to their incomes since the 1980s – a good year or two won’t fundamentally change the mindset.

In Northern Ireland, where the EU shackles are gone, the new support schemes are focusing on exactly the same EU issues – greater efficiency and environmental awareness.

Interestingly, two very distinguished farmers visited our stand on Sunday – one from South America and one from North America.

Both were listening to the show debates. The farmer from North America said his newborn Angus calves from the dairy herd were now worth $1,000 per head (€855) as newborns, compared to $700 per head (€600) this time last year.

He said that given the elevated stock values and current beef price, replenishing the US breeding herd is going to take time. He can’t envisage lower beef prices driven by increased supply any time soon on his side of the world.

Secondly, the farmer from South America said to be careful what you wish for – when there is no regulation, things can go wrong, and badly wrong. She warned that the Irish industry as a whole needs to think very carefully before even suggesting or proposing such a scenario.

In effect, the MEPs that called into the stand on Sunday reinforced this point when they committed to voting against Mercosur in its current guise, suggesting they don’t believe the production standards are equivalent.

Last Sunday, the Tullamore blue skies and sunshine melted any discontent very quickly. Reinforced beef prices and lamb producers benefitting from better 2025 prices and lower costs underpinned the general air of positivity that existed.

The uncertainty that remains for dairy farmers around stocking rate was regularly broached. The relief of completing an early harvest helped the gloomy tillage farmers (see below), and for one day they chose to enjoy the best rural Ireland has to offer.

Well done to the winners and once again to the organisers, staff and volunteers who pull off this great livestock spectacle. See more on pages 6-7, 30-31 and Pedigree.