Category: News

Showcasing the Best of Irish Food, Farming and Culture, this year’s National Ploughing Championships will take place from 22nd – 24th of September in Ratheniska, Co Laois. For the first time ever, due to unprecedented demand there has been an extensive waiting list for exhibitor stands since May. NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said “we are delighted that so many exhibitors have booked again to come to Ploughing because that is a real seal of approval for the event.”

“There will be an array of new exhibitors as well as hundreds of outstanding veteran companies showcasing their products and services in dynamic ways. With top quality Machinery Demonstrations, Prizewinning Animals, a Forestry Village complete with Husqvarna Pole climbing, Pony Games, Hunt Chase, Live Entertainment & Music, a Food Fayre, National Baking Competitions, a unique Garden Project with renowned gardener Diarmuid Gavin, Fashion Shows, International Business opportunities, a revamped Innovation Arena and an extended Local Enterprise Village with over 75 exhibitors.”

An extended Trade Arena will see the return of the popular Tented Trade Village with demand necessitating the biggest Arcade ever, with up to 120 exhibitors displaying in the one arena plus hundreds more located in additional specialist Pavilions.
In the competitive ploughing stakes a particularly strong programme has attracted entries from all around the country and Northern Ireland, hundreds of acres will be ploughed over the 3 days with over 350 entrants from all around the country competing.
Other really exciting new additions to the programme this year include a Festi’Kids Crèche, a Tractor Ted Arena, A Driving Challenge, the Foroige Junior Baker and lots more, Ireland’s Farming Festival is not to be missed.
Tickets are now available online at www.npa.ie or by phoning 059 8625125. Special student and group rates apply to pre-event orders and don’t forget kids under 12 are free and parking is free.

Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Farmers Journal and the NPA have joined forces again to provide budding entrepreneurs and innovators with an exceptional opportunity to apply for the Innovation Arena Award at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, with a prize fund now totalling an unparalleled €65,000 this is an opportunity not to be missed.

With remarkable interest the exhibition area for this year’s innovation stands will double in size. There will also be additional categories for a junior award for under-18s and a student category and due to unprecedented demand applications for late entries, known as wildcards, are now open until 3.00pm Friday July 17th 2015.  Successful wildcard entries will be notified of their selection by July 24th.

The competition for places is tough and the rewards are great, according to Denis Duggan from Enterprise Ireland. Denis explained that winning this award is just the start of a long relationship with Enterprise Ireland.

NPA Managing Director Anna Marie McHugh said “The opening up of the competition gives anyone who has a good business idea the chance to enter and possibly become the next big success story in Irish agriculture or business. Missing entry deadlines is easy with high workloads and family pressures all part of modern life. We are delighted to be able to offer this last chance for entries to the Innovation Awards with the National Ploughing Association, Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Farmers Journal.’’
To apply please go to www.enterprise-ireland.com/innovationarena to see the conditions for entry and process details.

From handcrafted hurleys to baked breakfast cereals, more than 70 small businesses to welcome thousands of visitors to new ‘Local Enterprise Village’ at National Ploughing Championships in September.
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton T.D. has welcomed plans for the biggest-ever ‘Local Enterprise Village’, which is being built by the network of Local Enterprise Offices at the National Ploughing Championships.
In twelve weeks’ time at Ratheniska in County Laois, the Local Enterprise Village will be home to more than 70 small businesses for the three days of the Championships (September 22nd – 24th), which is Europe’s largest outdoor event.
Local Enterprise Offices in every county throughout Ireland are supporting small businesses at the ploughing, which attracted more than 279,500 visitors in 2014, generating an estimated €39 million in sales.
Welcoming the announcement of the plans by representatives of the Local Enterprise Offices, the National Ploughing Association and Local Authorities Ireland, Minister Bruton said: “Ireland’s agri-sector is performing very strongly and as a result, small businesses in key sectors are benefitting, with plenty of opportunities for growth and job creation. The National Ploughing Championships are growing in importance and scale every year and through the Local Enterprise Offices, more small businesses and start-ups can start to avail of those opportunities.”
The Chair of the Network of Local Enterprise Offices, Kieran Comerford, said that the Local Enterprise Village has doubled in size in recent years, explaining: “For small, local businesses looking to expand, The Local Enterprise Village is the ideal gateway to customers across farming communities and rural Ireland. Many of the small businesses being supported by the Local Enterprise Offices will be testing new products and services in September, which in turn, will generate more jobs within those companies in the near future.”
The President of the National Ploughing Association, James Sutton said “it is tremendous to see the huge level of enterprise interest, with an unprecedented number of diverse and exciting businesses, exhibiting at the “Local Enterprise Village” at this year’s Ploughing Championships.  There is no doubt that the entrepreneurial spark is alive and well in Ireland and it is a fantastic opportunity for these small businesses to showcase their products to the large  number of visitors that Ploughing attracts, this is very positive for rural Ireland and the wider economy.”

NO REPRO FEE 25/6/2015 The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD ( bottom 2nd from left) has welcomed plans for the biggest-ever ‘Local Enterprise Village’, which is being built by the Local Enterprise Offices at the National Ploughing Championships in September. In all, 70 small businesses from every county in Ireland will be showcasing their goods and services for the public inside the Local Enterprise Village from September 22nd to 24th. Last year 279,500 visitors attended the National Ploughing Championships, generating eur39 million in sales. Plans for the Local Enterprise Village were announced at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation by the Local Enterprise Offices, the National Ploughing Association and Local Authorities Ireland. Pictured at the announcement are, clockwise from left, Paul Reid, Chair of Local Government, Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Committee, Kieran Comerford, Chair of Network of Local Enterprise Offices, Colm Foley from 65 Hurls in Fingal, Richard Doyle from Creative Productions in Carlow, James Sutton, President of the National Ploughing Association, Jacqui Kelly from Kelly’s Mountain Brew in Kildare, Bernadine Burke from Friends and Family Trees in Galway, Minister Richard Bruton TD and Marina Hand from Winnie’s Craft Café in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Further information around the Local Enterprise Village at the Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska in County Laois is available through www.localenterprise.ie. Photo: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

NO REPRO FEE 25/6/2015 The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD ( bottom 2nd from left) has welcomed plans for the biggest-ever ‘Local Enterprise Village’, which is being built by the Local Enterprise Offices at the National Ploughing Championships in September. In all, 70 small businesses from every county in Ireland will be showcasing their goods and services for the public inside the Local Enterprise Village from September 22nd to 24th. Last year 279,500 visitors attended the National Ploughing Championships, generating eur39 million in sales. Plans for the Local Enterprise Village were announced at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation by the Local Enterprise Offices, the National Ploughing Association and Local Authorities Ireland. Pictured at the announcement are, clockwise from left, Paul Reid, Chair of Local Government, Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Committee, Kieran Comerford, Chair of Network of Local Enterprise Offices, Colm Foley from 65 Hurls in Fingal, Richard Doyle from Creative Productions in Carlow, James Sutton, President of the National Ploughing Association, Jacqui Kelly from Kelly’s Mountain Brew in Kildare, Bernadine Burke from Friends and Family Trees in Galway, Minister Richard Bruton TD and Marina Hand from Winnie’s Craft Café in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Further information around the Local Enterprise Village at the Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska in County Laois is available through www.localenterprise.ie. Photo: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

At today’s launch, the Minister met with seven small businesses that will be hoping to make a big impact on visitors to the Local Enterprise Village in September. They were: 65 Hurls (handcrafted hurls, Fingal), Winnie’s Craft Café (craft and knitting supplies, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown), Nutri-Snax (nutritious cereals and biscuits, Cavan) Kelly’s Mountain Brew (microbrewery, Kildare), Creative Productions (video production, Carlow), Friends and Family Trees (souvenir tree drawings, Galway) and Wild About (artisan chutneys and dressings, Wicklow).
Organised by the National Ploughing Association, the 84th National Ploughing Championships are set to take place from September 22nd to 24th at Ratheniska, Stradbally in County Laois and further details around the Local Enterprise Village are available from www.localenterprise.ie.

The National Ploughing Association is delighted to send two farmers from the Mbale VIVA* Co-op in eastern Uganda to the prestigious Baraka Agricultural College in Kenya, to pursue a course in Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Development. On completion of the course the farmers will return home to farm the land and use their new knowledge to help their local community.

*The VIVA (Volunteers in Irish Veterinary Assistance) charity responsible for this initiative was founded as a volunteer-based organisation to support livestock farmers in the Developing World. The Mbale Co-op in eastern Uganda is VIVA’s largest project at present with over 400 farming families coming together to form a farmers Co-op to improve their circumstances. By introducing ploughing using ploughs pulled by oxen the crop yields and incomes of these farmers have been transformed. So far 276 oxen and 69 ploughs have been distributed amongst the members of the Co-op. Following graduation the two students will return home with new expertise to further enhance farming and good agricultural practices in their locality.

The 16 month course in Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Development, which commences in the Baraka Agriculture College in August, will educate and train the two farmers from the Mbale Co-op to be efficient, sustainable farmers, trainers of others and facilitators of development in their communities.

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said “The Ploughing Association are delighted to be in a position to fund these students to the total cost of €5,000, which will cover their academic course fees,

accommodation, food and travel. This is an incredibly worthwhile cause and one very close to the NPA’s core ploughing and sustainable farming values. The two successful students once graduated from the course will be empowered with knowledge and expert techniques to assist themselves and their neighbours.”

According to Mike Burke of VIVA, “the support of the NPA in funding these scholarships is vital in ensuring the sustainability of the project. These two farmers will return to their community and have made a commitment to mentor and train their fellow farmers for five years. They will be a huge educational resource for their community. The co-operation of VIVA and NPA in this unique project (which is part-funded by Irish Aid) is a unique example of solidarity between Irish farmers and vets and their colleagues in the Developing World.”