Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Edwin Poots, has attended the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois, Ireland, for the first time.
Now in its 91st year, the Ploughing is Ireland’s largest agricultural event, with an expected attendance of approximately 300,000 visitors, 1,700 exhibitors and just over 300 competitors.
During his visit, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said Poots met with a range of Northern Ireland companies, exhibitors and visitors and met a number of dignitaries.
Speaking about his visit, Minister Poots said: “This is the first time I have attended the Championships and one could not fail to be impressed by the vast scale of this event.
“It is fundamentally a ploughing competition, which is truly and rightly recognised on the international map as a major competition, attracting world class ploughmen. I wish all the competitors, especially those from Northern Ireland, best wishes.
“The event is of course very beneficial for Northern Ireland companies and visitors.”
Poots said that the Ploughing “provides unique opportunities to promote Northern Ireland’s agri-food and rural sectors to a large audience from across Ireland and further afield”.
He also referred to the display of local food produce from Northern Ireland with the DAERA exhibition stand.
Poots said he was pleased that the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) was attending the Ploughing, adding that he believes “educational attainment is linked to the economic success of our industry”.
“My department has a strong commitment to developing the knowledge and skills of the local agri-food industry – both for those that are entering the industry and those well established and who wish to develop further.”
