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ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE AT DUBLIN CASTLE TO MARK THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE AT DUBLIN CASTLE TO MARK THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FARMERS’ JOURNAL ON 26TH MARCH, 1998

I am delighted to have been asked to join with you in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Farmers Journal – a veritable national institution that has been the voice of the farming and rural community in a period that has seen profound changes in agriculture. But it is more than just a ‘voice’ – it has been an educator, a facilitator and even a life-line for many who’ve had to cope with the fast pace of change that has been taking place, particularly since Ireland joined the ‘common market’ of Europe a quarter of a century ago. And let me say how happy I am to be here during your Annual Conference which this year focuses on Irish agriculture in the global context as we approach the new millennium - as illustrated by the presence of Mr Fischler, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Randy Green from the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Nestro Osorio from the World Trade Organisation and Mr. Michael Murphy from the University of Cambridge.

I am particularly delighted to be here to honour John Mooney, a man who has been associated with the Farmers Journal for the greater part of its existence, and a man who has made his own unique contribution to Irish agriculture. Today we are paying tribute both to the man and to the publication which he nurtured and which has now become an indispensable part of the national and rural scene.

Macra na Feirme – the Young Farmers’ Association – founded the Farmers’ Journal in 1948, with the aim of supplying accurate technical and marketing information to farmers. Macra na Feirme is part of that remarkable self-help ethos which took root in the nineteenth century and has flourished since - giving us many of the organisations which are now an established feature of Irish life. From the beginning these organisations recognised the importance of education, training and information for both the personal development of their members and for the advancement of the agricultural industry as a whole. Unfortunately, although having an admirable purpose, the Farmers Journal project faltered due to a succession of start-up difficulties.

However many of our present day rural organisations also had an uncertain start and were, in their early days, propelled by the dedication and persistence of leaders with vision – people who were prepared to give their personal commitment and even their own financial resources. Indeed, two thirds of a century ago – on this day in 1932 – Ireland mourned the death of Sir Horace Plunkett, the great pioneer of Irish Agriculture who spawned the co-operative movement – a movement which is such a major component of the agriculture industry today. I see John Mooney too as being in this great tradition, stepping in as he did, in 1951, to buy the Journal to build it up from his own resources. He nurtured the fledgling paper, under the stewardship of its first editor, Paddy O’Keeffe, until its circulation had grown to 60,000 by the mid 1960’s. Indeed it was so successful that, at one stage, I believe he was approached with a take over offer from London. In an extraordinary gesture, however, he gave the Farmers’ Journal over to a charitable trust, totally free, and with absolutely no gain to himself - remaining on as unpaid non-executive chairman until the end of 1993.

His legacy continues in the terms of the trust which he formed. While clearly the Journal’s Board has to maintain a profitable base to fulfil their obligations to the agricultural sector, and to keep pace with technological developments, they are free of the normal commercial obligations to shareholders, allowing them to meet an essential term of the trust – the allocation of a significant proportion of their profits to fund research and student education through annual bursaries and scholarships.

Since the inception of the Journal fifty years ago, life in Ireland - particularly the rural way of life -has changed significantly. Yet agriculture continues to be our largest indigenous industry. But it has changed from relying on highly manual operations - needing many hands - to a highly mechanised industry. Many of you here today will remember only too well the sowing and picking of potatoes by hand, ploughshares drawn by horses and when silage was only a word in a dictionary. It is an image captured so effectively by Seamus Heaney in his poem ‘At a Potato Digging’,

 

“Processional stooping through the turf

Recurs mindlessly as autumn. Centuries

Of fear and homage to the famine god

Toughen the muscles behind their humbled knees,

Make a seasonal altar of the sod”

 

Nowadays of course, while farming is still hard work, machines are ubiquitous, from the tractor to the combine harvester, and the milking machine even has cows under control!

During that period of great change, the Farmers’ Journal has not just tracked these developments but has actively taken a lead in promoting better farming practices through valuable information and advice, with specialist contributors generating lively debates. Its remit extends beyond the core enterprises of dairying, beef, tillage and sheep to newer enterprises such as mushrooms, nursery stock production as well as the pig, poultry and horse industries. This broad canvass reflects the multi-faceted nature of the agricultural sector today and the move towards diversification with both on and off-farm alternative enterprises. The Journal was and is the champion of the farmer in the national arena – as the slogan says, “Fearlessly on the Farmers’ side”.

Membership of the European Union has benefited Ireland in many ways, and Ireland has made good use of the EU supports available - particularly the agricultural sector, where the substantial transfers generated by the enterprise of farmers’ percolate throughout the whole economy. The various EU and national training programmes introduced over the years have brought us from a situation where few farmers had any formal training, to a situation where it is a requirement of almost all grant-aided schemes that the applicant agrees to undertake a formal training course, usually run by Teagasc. The Farmers’ Journal will be gratified at this fundamental change, as along with Macra na Feirme, they were at the cutting edge in advancing the training of farmers.

Change is a feature of the modern world, no less so in farming. This will bring challenges and opportunities. I am sure the Farmer’s Journal, under the editorship of Matt Dempsey, in addressing the critical issues, will continue in the spirit of their mentor John Mooney.

In making this presentation to John, I would like to thank him for his great contribution to Irish agriculture and to wish him well for the future. I would also like to wish everybody at the Farmer’s Journal – Matt Dempsey and his dedicated team – continued success in lighting the way for so many Irish farmers and their families and all who depend on farming for their living.