Teagasc Farmfest '08 - Building Sustainable Rural Areas
20 June 2008
Building sustainable farming and rural businesses for the future was the main theme running through Farmfest '08, the major Teagasc outdoor event of the year.
Speaking at the official opening of Farmfest and Bioenergy ‘08 in Athenry, today Friday, 20 June, Teagasc director Professor Gerry Boyle said: "Teagasc is all about the long-term sustainable development of agriculture, the food industry and rural-based business. While other industries have gone through a recent boom, farming and rural business have been developing on a steady, even keel over the past ten years during the Celtic Tiger. Now as some other sectors of the economy are slowing, most notably the construction industry, the sustainable development that has been taking place on farms and in innovative indigenous food and rural-based businesses is now coming to the fore."
Professor Boyle said: "The fruits of all that hard work are everywhere to be seen here in Athenry today, in terms of sustainable businesses for the future. In the core farming enterprises, Teagasc research shows how dairy farming has a competitive advantage relative to other European and global milk producers on a cash cost basis and so will provide a viable future for many dairy farmers. Despite the contraction in the sheep industry, some of the finest animals in the country are on show and competing for the coveted rosettes in their various championships."
Professor Boyle pointed to the development of new start up rural based alternative enterprises. "The hundreds of artisan food and speciality food producers displaying their unique range of products are a brilliant example of how innovative rural businesses can carve out niche markets, and develop in a sustainable way to survive and prosper in the years ahead. The speciality food market is now one of the fastest growing, worth €500 million annually in Ireland with a large European market worth €33 billion on our doorsteps," he said.
Professor Boyle continued: "There has been a building revolution on Irish farmers over the last two years with over a €1 billion being invested in new facilities on farms this year, providing new activity for the construction industry in these more challenging times for that sector. This investment is about creating sustainable farming units for the medium to long term."
"The Bioenergy '08 event in Athenry is highlighting ways of finding sustainable solutions to meet the growing energy needs of the country. Teagasc is committed to finding land-based energy solutions especially for domestic and consumer heating. Forestry, with its stock of ready to thin forests, will provide the material to meet the first wave of demand for biomass, while alternative energy crops such as willow and miscanthus are becoming more established. The big challenge for our researchers is to find sustainable plant-based alternatives, the so called second and third generation biofuels, which will provide long-term sustainable alternatives to petroleum based products," he said.
Farmfest '08 is hosting the largest ever environmental display held in the country. Not only are the benefits of farming in harmony with the environment highlighted, but the economic benefits to farmers from utilising clover and animal manures to supply part of their fertiliser needs are also being stressed, providing a win-win situation.
