Irish and Welsh farmers in net project to boost income
Terracelt is an ambitious new internet-based project that aims to provide farmers, rural businesses and the general public with a host of services on a single site.
A joint project between the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), Terracelt has received a grant of more than €500,000 from the European Union’s Interreg fund. FUW president Gareth Vaughan said the aim was to provide farming families in Wales and Ireland with an opportunity to harness the latest technology and boost their incomes.
“The site will offer those who have yet to take the first tentative steps into online marketing a helping hand with expert advice.
“Those who are already selling online can take advantage of an additional, and comprehensive, directory to sell their goods and services,” he said.
ICSA president Malcolm Thompson said the group was excited about the new joint web venture. The international marketplace for farm produce is becoming smaller due to the development of information technology, he said. “It is therefore a logical development that two progressive farm organisations should come together to take full advantage of developing internet-based marketing opportunities,” he said.
This is the largest single project ever undertaken by both the FUW and the ICSA. The site is being constructed by Llanelli-based Tinopolis, one of the largest independent television and new media production companies in Britain.
Work on the site, which will be made available in English, Irish and Welsh, is already underway. The finished project will be unveiled at the Royal Welsh Show in Wales and the National Ploughing Championships at Mogeely, Co Cork in September.
