TULLAMORE SHOW:TULLAMORE re-established itself as the home of Ireland's largest agricultural show when, after two years of cancellation, the show was staged with huge support from across the country.
The organisers said the expected turnout was far exceeded as people packed on to the new 245-acre site chosen for the event at the Butterfield Estate near Blueball, only a couple of miles from the old site at Charleville Castle.
Public relations officer for the event Christy Maye said the turnout yesterday was 60,000 “and could be more”. He expressed delight at the return of the event after two years of cancellation because of the weather.
Ireland East MEP Mairéad McGuinness, who officially opened the show, expressed alarm at the what she said was the abject failure of the Government to plan for the future of farming.
The Government, she said, had focused instead on a dangerous agenda of slashing farm support without any clear analysis of the impact of these deep cuts on farm families, jobs in the food sector and on the wider rural economy.
“Tullamore Show needed and got the support and commitment of sponsors and exhibitors to see it through the tough times of recent years. Irish farmers need similar support in these very challenging times for the sector.
“I regret to say that farmers are not receiving the support they need. I regret that when market prices are at their lowest for some time and banks slow to advance funding, the Government has seen fit to add to farming woes by withdrawing a series of support programmes and threatening further cuts,” Ms McGuinness added.
“It is abundantly clear that farming has been failed by ministers, markets and multiples and that unless these three Ms are tackled head-on, Irish farming will contract and rural Ireland will suffer.”
Michael Dowling, head of agri-strategy at title sponsors Allied Irish Banks, rejected any suggestion his bank was not supporting farmers or extending credit. AIB supported its farming clients and there was no difference in criteria being applied now than in the past.
“There are some businesses in every sector that have greater difficulty showing a payability now than in the past,” he said. “Where people are in difficulty, we help with rescheduling and may put people on interest-only loans and change overdrafts into term loans, if that helps. It is not true they are not getting support but it is true many are in more difficulty and they are finding it harder to repay than in the past, but we have not changed the criteria.”
Mr Dowling had said that all predictions were that commodity prices for agricultural products, especially dairy and cereals, would be better than in the previous 10 years with the exception of 2007, which had been a peak year.