Farmers ‘need to grasp market power’
Macra na Feirme president Colm Markey said this was particularly so in a world where the retail giant WalMart’s annual turnover is six times that of Ireland’s gross domestic product.
He made the claim after Eddie O’Donnell, 23, a dairy and beef farmer from Golden, Co Tipperary, was named the 2006 FBD Young Farmer of the Future in a national competition organised by Macra in partnership with the IFA.
Mr Markey said gone are the days when farmers could rely on the support offered by the Common Agricultural Policy.
“Now we have to look to the market for our return. The biggest issue we have is to tackle our ability to leverage market power,” he said.
Mr Markey said the corner stones of the country’s economic success have always been education and a vibrant work force.
“Agriculture is no different. If we are to develop in the way we need to survive, it will be on the basis of expertise and skill,” he said.
Mr Markey said farmers also need to be able to access where they are going and have the measurement tools to do so, whether it is profit monitors or grass budgeting.
Mr O’Donnell was presented with a specially commissioned sculpture by Irish-based artist Birgitta Seck, a travel bursary worth €2,500 and €1,000 spending money. He is a member of Macra’s national agricultural affairs committee and national council and chairperson of Dundrum branch.
Mr O’Donnell said he believed there is a future for farmers if they are positive and cost-efficient.
Prizes were also awarded to the second and third place winners Gerard Hannon, 28, a dairy farmer from Ballymote, Co Sligo, and John Cribbin, 32, a lawn turf farmer from Trim, Co Meath.
IFA president Padraig Walshe said young farmers have the energy and enthusiasm to fully maximise the potential from a new and challenging era in farming.
