merrion street

Shane McEntee TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine today officially opened the annual Bridgetown Agricultural Show in Bridgetown, Co. Clare.

The Minister said “this is the twenty second occasion of the Bridgetown show here in South East Clare, and it has grown to become one of the most popular events of the year for people in this region. The excellent spirit of community cooperation shown to host this event is to be commended. There is a wide range of competitions today ranging from traditional livestock classes to those for dogs, horticulture, flowers and home cooking. This ensures an excellent family day out in a very scenic location”.

Referring to the broader agri-food industry, the Minister said “The Government intends to drive a very ambitious growth agenda for the agri-food sector as set out in Food Harvest 2020 and to increase the value of exports from the sector to €12 billion by 2020 which involves increasing the volume of food production in Ireland by a third. Farm families throughout this region all have a key role to play in helping drive this growth, which will help contribute to economic recovery and job creation”. He added “I believe there is a prosperous future for our livestock sector. Exceptional cattle prices so far this year have helped improve incomes for all cattle farmers, and Board Bia have forecast a strong demand for beef for the remainder of the year”. The Minister concluded by wishing the competitors and visitors an enjoyable day.