Up to 80,000 people are expected to attend the opening day of this year’s National Ploughing Championships (NPC), which get under way in Screggan, Co Offaly this morning.
The 95th renewal will see a significant increase in the number and range of machinery exhibitors, as well as more international competitors.
This is the fifth time Screggan is hosting the event, which runs until Thursday, 17 September.
The centre of the 700-acre site will be ploughing, with more than 350 competitors and 34 unique classes taking place.
Meanwhile, a number of major livestock competitions will be staged across the week – including the All-Ireland Aberdeen Angus Finals today and the National Calf Finals and Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition tomorrow.
This year’s event takes place against the backdrop of a number of prominent issues facing the country’s farmers; notably spiking energy costs, and the fallout from an exceptionally dry and warm summer.
Another looming issue for Irish farmers – the proposed cut to ringfenced EU CAP funding by around a fifth – is also likely to feature heavily later in the week when EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen is expected to be in attendance.
A third of farmers plan to exit profession within five years – survey
Two separate studies launched this morning at the event indicate the stark challenges facing the country’s agricultural sector.
A survey of 2,300 farmers across all sectors, commissioned on behalf of Agriland and the ICMSA (the group representing dairy farmers), suggests that at least one in three of them intend to exit farming within the next five years.
According to the research, “it is not just the older farmer demographic likely to exit; two in 10 (20%) of farmers aged 45-54 say they are likely to exit within five years”.
Meanwhile, another study focusing on the finances of 1,170 dairy farmers – carried out by agricultural research company Rerouted Results – indicates that only half of them have lined up a successor to take over their operation.
The same survey found that the median dairy farmer takes just 10 days’ holidays per year, with one in 18 taking no days off at all.
A standard adult ticket for the 2026 NPC booked in advance online costs €32, while tickets bought at the gates on the day cost €35 for all entrants.