Its still big and buoyant
9 October 1998
Its still big and buoyant
Irelands premier agricultural show – the largest outdoor
event of its type in Europe – got under way last week.
Andy Collings and Ian Marshall fought their way through
milling crowds to discover the countrys latest
machinery developments
THE Irish Ploughing Match – an event which also majors on displaying the countrys latest machinery wares in volumes that would belittle even the grandest UK affair – is an irresistible magnet for the countrys large farming community.
With over 150,000 visitors drawn through gates during the events three-day duration, their undeniable enthusiasm is a reflection of the importance agriculture plays in the Ireland.
It is a situation also assisted by the buoyant state of the countrys economy and low interest rates.
Sales yardstick
Tractor sales, always a yardstick by which the industrys state can be assessed, are being maintained at previous years levels with a total of just over 2000 units
Market leaders Massey Ferguson, New Holland and Zetor vie almost equally for a 65% share, while Renault, Fendt, Same and Valmet dispute the majority of the remainder. Valmet, which is now only in its fourth year of Irish trading, would claim to have sold about 100 units this year.
In terms of horsepower, the 90hp bracket still remains the most popular, appealing to Irelands large number of stock farmers.
This aside, there is also a growing demand for larger machinery by contractors who currently enjoy a reasonably profitable time due to the demands from small-scale, part time farmers of which Ireland has a significant number.
More sales
And this situation is reflected in increasing sales of larger machinery – self-propelled foragers, for example. This is balanced though, by a reduction in demand for smaller kit such as mowers and tedders.
Overall, by comparison to the UK at least, Ireland continues to enjoy a settled agricultural industry. Not, of course, without its problems, current or impending, but then there was no BSE.