Are we facing an Ireland without Farming

In a time when the population of the Irish state and the world is at its highest ever, it would be expected that food production in Ireland would never be more important economically or more attractive as a profession. But the truth is that farming is in a deep crisis due to a national and global economic system that could lead to its disappearance in a country where it has shaped society and all aspects of life for nearly 6000 years.

At present 80% of Ireland's food consumed is imported, only 4% of Ireland's working population are farmers (compared to approximately 25% when we joined what is now the EU in 1973), only 4.5% of farmers are under 35 years of age, two thirds of animal feed is imported, and c98% of tillage farming in Ireland relies on some form of chemical pesticide. By definition pesticides- the word comes from the Latin (Ancient Roman) pestis (plague) and caedere (kill)- are substances used to kill plant or animal life that are considered to be 'pests'. As soils are living entities comprising multiple organisms as well as weathered rock and mineral particles, water, air and decayed organic matter, the use of pesticides can degrade soil health, dramatically reduce biodiversity, and leave toxic residues.

This soil degradation combined with the fact that today only 5% of agricultural land in Ireland is farmed organically means that the long-term viability of farming as a career and as a key part of the national economy is at its lowest ever in our country's history.

The facts are that the Irish population primarily get their food from growers based outside Ireland. These foreign-based producers provide food that is cheap and therefore attractive to Irish consumers.
But we have got to remember that anything that is 'cheap' comes at a great cost to both the majority of farmers in these countries as well as to the planet.

But at this month's Ploughing Championships, I saw the greenshoots for an industry and a way of life that gives hope for a future based on economic sustainability, agroecology and food sovereignty which in many ways represents positive aspects of an Ireland that I grew up in.

For instance, the promotion of silviculture (tree farming) to benefit biodiversity and act as a source of building materials in order to provide a high economic return for farmers shows that both can be obtainable. This was demonstrated at the Teagasc Forestry stand and discussed by Sarah Keating, RDS Agriculture & Rural Affairs Programme Manager, and Michael O’Neill, winner of the 2026 RDS Silvicultural Excellence Award on the panel I was part of, namely “Land Use, Sustainability & Forestry that took place in the Irish Farmers Journal Tent. I myself talked about the importance of bringing nature and farming back into our cities by developing neighbourhood organic food gardens and in creating habitats for wildlife such as meadows, wetlands and woodlands.

There were stands at the Ploughing Championships on organic dairy farming, organic beef farming, agroecology ('Talamh Beo' = Living Ground), high quality organic foodstuffs such as Glenisk yogurts and Flavahans porridge as well as displays of a healthy range of small scale local producers, Soil Worx natural fertilisers, Seedsavers who are renowned for protecting and selling ancient varieties of food plants, and the Irish government's own “We're Talking Climate Action” tent.

I was also very impressed to see hemp growers at the event. Hemp from time immemorial was used to make the sails for wind-powered ships and today has multiple uses such as in the provision of sustainable textiles, eco-friendly building materials, nutritious foods and biodegradable bioplastics.

Likewise I was glad to see sheep farmers as active participants. A much maligned sector of farming, a sheep annually gives the wool which was the mainstay of Irish clothing until recent times. Sheep can do so again, helping to provide a necessary viable long term alternative to the environmental destructive micro-plastic 'fast fashion' clothing. Wool also has other beneficial uses such as for bedding, home insulation, ropes used in shellfish farming, mulch for gardening, and eco-friendly materials. A small first but critical step would be to establish commercial facilities for scouring sheep's wool.

On a strategic level, the Irish government and the EU need to 'step up to the plate' and create a true Circular Economy in Ireland across Europe by incentivizing organic farming and placing barriers on cheap agricultural and plastic products that are bringing ruination to the planet.