merrion street

Shane McEntee TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, today officially opened Ireland’s premier show, the annual Tullamore show in Co. Offaly.

Revived in 1991, the show is firmly established as the largest one day show in the country and it provides a perfect summer’s day out for all the family. It has become a highlight of the year for many people across the country, and has a unique setting on the Butterfield Estate. The scale of the show can be judged from the fact that there are over 1,000 individual show classes and over 55,000 people attending on the day.

The Minister said that “The Tullamore show, which also incorporates the AIB National Livestock show, is a wonderful occasion to see the best cattle in the country. A host of other competitions and displays covering equines, home industries, arts and crafts, Macra farm skills, farm inventions, sheepdog trials and family entertainment are on offer throughout the day”.

Minister of State McEntee added “The show here is an opportunity to present all the positive aspects of rural Ireland. There is a strong tradition of competition among pedigree breeders and farmers on a National stage, which helps improve the quality of breeding stock available to commercial farmers. The current strong prices for cattle looks set to continue into the autumn which bodes well for Suckler farmers who produce the quality weanlings so vital to our vibrant beef sector”.

The Minister went on to say “I believe that agriculture has an integral role to play in leading Ireland’s economic recovery. Exports from the sector are already up over €400m in the first half of the year, with strong growth predicted by An Bord Bia for the remainder of the year. Working together, farmers, industry and Government can help exploit the huge further potential that exists in Irish farming and the Agrifood sector”.

The Minister acknowledged that the staging of the show was a massive community effort and concluded by wishing the organising committee, exhibitors, sponsors and all the visitors an enjoyable day out.