Farm sector is ready for the future

For a country almost exhausted by years of endless bad news the last few days have been more than cheering -  positive, very uplifting data describing considerable achievements have been published on several fronts. 

Last week's growth figures, and yes, they do bear repeating once again - 7.7% growth in GDP, 9% growth in GNP for the year to the end of June - represent a recovery hardly imaginable a year or so ago. The turnaround, exceptional by euro-zone standards, has been reassuring and won worthwhile international recognition that will help rebuild credibility. Anything that might jeopardise that trend could be fairly described with the phrase that so angered former  Taoiseach Brian Cowen - economic treason.

And, most thankfully,  the  good news continues.

New figures show that  food and drink exports passed the €10b threshold last year and that the sector's exports have grown by 42% in just five years. By any criteria that is a remarkable achievement. The figures were published in the  fourth annual progress report on the Food Harvest 2020 goals. The importance of this growth is reflected in the  fact  that 30% of the companies listed on the stock exchange's Iseq index  are either food or drink companies. In employment  terms this success has meant 4,000 extra  jobs in a sector that had been in decline for the previous decade.

The figures will help the mood music at one of Ireland's great festivals, the 83rd   National Ploughing Championships when it opens   at Ratheniska, near Stradbally, Co Laois  this morning. The event, hosted on an 800-acre site 20% bigger than last year's one, is expected to attract 200,000 visitors. There are  26km of  walkways on the site and visitors can call to any one of  1,400 trade stands.