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00:00Hello and welcome to Ear to the Ground.
00:03Later in the programme, I'll be back here in Elfin Mart
00:06to find out why record cattle prices
00:09are good for some farmers, but not for all.
00:12Stephen will be meeting a family investing in apples
00:15at a scale not seen before in Ireland.
00:18The growers that have been there before, it's served them well,
00:21but time for change.
00:22And Ella is in Cavan with a young woman
00:25determined to make her small farm work.
00:28I want to keep it small and I want to make sure
00:31that everything is sustainable in terms
00:33of just maintaining my own health too.
00:55The average Irish person chomps their way through
00:57about 120 apples per year.
01:00And we live in a near perfect climate for growing them.
01:03So far, so good, right?
01:05Well, unfortunately not.
01:07Over 90% of the apples which we eat here in Ireland are imported.
01:12But one family owned business wants to change that.
01:16The McCanns come from Armagh, where they are long established.
01:20In 2021, they embarked on a massive expansion.
01:27They planted the largest eating apple orchard in Ireland,
01:31here in Tully Island in the Boyne Valley,
01:34growing two of the most popular imported varieties,
01:37Galla and Golden Delicious.
01:39Kevin McCann is Commercial Director with the company.
01:45Tell me, why did you start growing them?
01:47Traditionally, we were growing Bramley apples,
01:49John of Grey, John of Gold, L-Stars.
01:51Great varieties, but they're not what the Irish consumer desire.
01:55We looked at a lot of information in the marketplace
01:58and where we were going.
01:59And we've seen that the key to what the consumers want is Galla.
02:03We sourced the trees, got the land.
02:05I suppose in a wing and a prayer, we got stuck in,
02:07and thank God it's came to fruition now.
02:10There is a total of 130 acres of fruit planted here.
02:15Mostly apple trees, but also some pear varieties.
02:19There's no point in us planting a handful of acres here.
02:22We had to go out and plant large scale
02:24to be able to go to the retailers and say,
02:26look, we have X amount of volume here.
02:28This is what we're going to be growing.
02:30Import substitutes, so the trucks aren't coming in
02:32from other European countries or further afield,
02:34even the likes of New Zealand, Chile, South Africa,
02:37because it's an environmentally friendly crop.
02:39How did you end up here, though, in the Boyne Valley?
02:42This actual area here in the Boyne Valley,
02:45when we purchased it, it was actually described
02:47as a little heaven on a morning like this.
02:49Yeah, I could see why.
02:51There's a microclimate here.
02:53The site's south-facing.
02:55We're getting the maximum sun hours that we possibly can,
02:58which is very, very important to apples.
03:00We actually have the Matic River flows through the site,
03:03and that then flows on into the Boyne.
03:05With the water, we're actually getting frost protection as well.
03:09With imported varieties dominating the market here,
03:12the McCanns felt it was a case of,
03:14if you can't beat them, join them.
03:17But taking on these global varieties has required
03:20a multi-million-euro investment.
03:23To be honest, that was a massive gambling for us as a family.
03:26Call it nerves, call it ambition.
03:28We were confident.
03:29And it's had its ups and downs and its challenges,
03:32but looking here, when you see a crop in these trees like it is today,
03:36confidence is pouring out of us now to keep going at it.
03:39This orchard will produce roughly 2,000 tonnes of apples.
03:43It's achieved by planting at a very high density.
03:47The young trees are supported on a trellis system,
03:50allowing them to bear heavy fruit loads.
03:53Kevin's father, Oliver, has been in this business
03:56since his father, Patsy, set it up in 1968.
04:00Back then, things were done very differently.
04:04The arches being planted in them days
04:06was 250, 300 trees to the acre.
04:09It would take quite a bit of time for them trees to mature
04:13and to fill in the gaps.
04:15As a rule of thumb, when you're growing wood,
04:18you're not growing fruit.
04:20So on today's plantations,
04:23you plant trees touching each other.
04:25Trees love companionship,
04:27and the roots touch the roots of the trees beside it.
04:30Automatically, you get fruits straight away.
04:35This is the future of orchard-grown in Ireland.
04:37It is costly to get into.
04:40We have 1,300 trees per acre.
04:43Three could cost you €10.
04:46It's not hard to do the sums, right?
04:49Despite such costs, the McCanns felt that it was the only way
04:53they could provide a strong future for the business.
04:56Our own business was under pressure from the point of view
04:59of imports and things coming into the country.
05:02I said this time, we're going to have to buy a farm and plant it.
05:06Because if we don't, what have we been doing all these years?
05:11Once harvested, the apples are brought to Armagh City,
05:14where the McCanns have their processing plant.
05:17To handle the increased volume created by the Boyan Valley site,
05:21the company has had to significantly upgrade the facility.
05:26Bins are loaded in by the operative.
05:28Through the infeed tank, we remove any defected product
05:31that's not suitable for grading and packing.
05:33Travels up through this 60-in-free sizing system,
05:36where there's literally 30 images of every single apple is taken.
05:40So that's a hell of a speed now.
05:42I can see the flashes so I can.
05:47The apples are sorted and cameras inspect the fruit
05:50for things like discoloration.
05:52A sophisticated measuring system is used to identify
05:55the sugar content, ripeness and any internal defects.
06:01As well as washing the apples,
06:03water is a gentle way of moving them through the system,
06:07preventing any bruising.
06:09Oliver McCann, Jr. is Head of Operations.
06:13Do you have enough apples to keep this going all year round?
06:16No. Our Irish season will last to March,
06:19and then we work on imported fruit from there
06:21through to the new season starts again.
06:23So we need to get enough trees on the ground
06:25to last the season 12 months of the year.
06:29The apples are only sorted and graded
06:31as orders come in from retailers.
06:34In the meantime, vast quantities are stored here for up to a year.
06:38So what are we looking at here?
06:40We're looking at about 300 tons of gall apples
06:42that are picked up from Tully Island.
06:44The last few days they've went in.
06:46Now that store is completely sealed so we actually can't go inside.
06:48The product is in there, that's now in hibernation,
06:50safe, locked down, temperature controlled.
06:52When you say low oxygen, what do you mean?
06:56Ultra low oxygen, the air we're breathing is 21% oxygen.
06:59Inside that room is 1% oxygen.
07:01Wow.
07:02So literally we're just giving them a lifeline to keep going.
07:04Yeah.
07:05If we treat the correct atmosphere and the correct storage systems,
07:08we'll have product for as long as possible.
07:12The McCanns are currently looking at a number of other sites
07:15around the country to plant more orchards.
07:19And they believe that there is potential for other growers
07:22to adopt this model of production.
07:24We're in our fifth year now growing.
07:26We're over the moon with production.
07:28And hopefully we'll keep it like that going forward.
07:31We should be able to get our numbers up.
07:33We would love to see new entrants coming into the business as well
07:36because there is a massive, massive scope.
07:38The growers that have been there before, it's served them well,
07:41but time for change.
07:43Yeah, it's a big, big investment.
07:45It's 50 years to build it and five minutes to lose it.
07:49In our heads, but we have to grow this business further
07:52and the fire is in our belly to do that.
07:59That's it for part one.
08:00Coming up after the break,
08:02a young farmer leading by example in County Cavern.
08:05I have found that the next generation is so intrigued
08:09and they're always reaching out on social media.
08:12And I'll be finding out why these guys are so valuable.
08:22Irish consumers don't need to be told that food prices are continuing to rise here.
08:31The cost of beef is no exception.
08:34In the year to the end of October,
08:36sirloin steak saw a price hike of almost 23%.
08:41At least part of this can be traced back to what's been happening
08:45at livestock marts across the country.
08:48The massive increase in beef prices over the last year has caught many by surprise.
08:53In fact, it's lasted so long that many are beginning to wonder
08:56if this isn't just a spike rather than a long overdue reset,
09:00which is great for the farmers selling,
09:02but challenging for every other link in the chain.
09:06It's a wet morning here at Elfin Mart in County Roscommon.
09:10And we're coming to the end of what's been a bumper season
09:13for farmers and auctioneers alike.
09:16Gerry Conlon and his son Donal from Kilcock in County Mead
09:20are here today to sell six weanlings.
09:23If everything goes well,
09:25these animals will fetch anywhere between 2,000 and 2,500 euros each.
09:31What could you have reasonably expected last year?
09:35Oh, it's phenomenal. I think last year we were 1,200,
09:38so definitely a lot healthier this year, 100%.
09:42Amazing turnaround in the trade.
09:44It's 20 years too late for me,
09:46but maybe not for doing.
09:48Yeah.
09:49Elfin Mart is one of the busiest in the country.
09:52It attracts buyers and sellers from all over
09:55and is particularly popular with cattle exporters
09:58because of its large animal holding facilities.
10:01Ciaran Lynch is the mark manager.
10:05For me, this time last year, like, you know,
10:07it's just huge money. It's massive money.
10:09I mean, we're talking millions changing hands here.
10:12In a day. In a day. In that ring.
10:14In a day. You're talking maybe over a million every day.
10:16That's every day.
10:18This is like the Vegas of Ireland.
10:20It's something like that, Chad. It is.
10:22But look, it's just the game we're in,
10:23it's just the way the job has gone and that's it.
10:25In simple economic terms, this is all about supply and demand.
10:31Ten years ago, the national beef herd here stood at one million animals.
10:36Today, due largely to older farmers leaving the sector
10:39and policies around reducing numbers to meet emissions targets,
10:43that figure is closer to 750,000.
10:46Nevin McKiernan is a livestock journalist with the Irish Farmers Journal.
10:52That's left us with a situation now where there's less cattle coming on stream.
10:55You can see them pens getting emptier and emptier year on year.
10:58So that's creating more competition in the market.
11:01The fear is that this is a bubble. What do you think?
11:05In the short to medium term, no, it's not.
11:08This is not just an Irish thing. This is across Europe.
11:11Production across Europe is down.
11:13And we're going to see that over the next five to six years.
11:16It's very difficult to see how prices are going to go down.
11:21Demand from the booming live cattle export sector
11:24is another factor driving price increases.
11:28Last year, we hit a 20-year high,
11:30with almost 380,000 animals exported,
11:34mainly to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
11:37Roscommon-based Derek Maxwell exports around 25,000 cattle every year.
11:44One of his regular customers is Italian farmer Filippo Canil,
11:48who buys up to 300 animals every month.
11:52You're the customer for Irish cattle farmers.
11:55Beef price has doubled at the ring here in the last 12 months.
12:00What does that mean for you?
12:02It's not easy for me, this situation.
12:05But my customers, I know the situation in Europe or in the world.
12:10It's very difficult to find the meat for cheap price.
12:13But I need the quality, you know.
12:17We had 20 years with no inflation.
12:19The last 12 months, the last 24 months, you could say,
12:22we've seen a big change.
12:24But as far as I can remember,
12:26before that cattle were nearly always the same price.
12:28Are we at the peak or can this continue?
12:32Who knows?
12:33I thought we were at the peak last April, last May.
12:37But it seems to keep going and we just have to move with it.
12:41But I don't see it going back to what it was 24 months ago.
12:45So what about those buyers who are purchasing young animals
12:49to fatten and then sell onto processors?
12:52Within the sector, profit margins are shrinking
12:55as purchase prices at marts continue to rise,
12:58while feed and energy costs are also more expensive.
13:02As part of his business,
13:04Donegal farmer Andrew Norris finishes around 400 animals every year.
13:08It's not about what we get for the beef, like, at the minute.
13:12It's about what we have left over
13:14whenever we have the 400 stores back in again to go next year.
13:18And, like, I'm sitting looking at cattle coming nicely there now
13:21and they're doing well,
13:22but I'm already worried about how I'm going to replace them
13:24because of the way the thing is that the market's like.
13:26For the system that I'm in, there's a lot of costs in that,
13:28like, for keeping them cattle for a year
13:30and everything that goes along with it, like,
13:32vaccinating and dosing and doing everything that goes along with it.
13:34But it's small margins for the amount of money that's invested.
13:36There's no way that I would be able to be,
13:39it's myself and my brother and my cousin that works together here,
13:42and there's no way that the three of us
13:44would be able to live off finishing 400 cattle.
13:46It just wouldn't happen, like.
13:48Three years ago,
13:49the price paid by factories to finishers like Andrew
13:52was €5 a kilo.
13:54Today, it's just short of €8.
13:57Being the last link in this chain,
13:59the consumer inevitably ends up paying more for their steak and mince.
14:03Conor Loughnan is a lecturer in economics at University College Cork.
14:09I think this is the new norm.
14:11I think the era of cheap food is coming to an end.
14:15With the way policy is changing now,
14:17and we see less supply in the market,
14:19it's hard to see how that price will shift back down.
14:22And also when we have these high prices for the farmers and the processors,
14:28that has to be collected somewhere,
14:29so they can't take a loss on that.
14:31So the chances of the price slipping back in the short term are minimal.
14:36I would say prices likely to continue to rise in the foreseeable future.
14:40Who's the real winner here?
14:42It's hard to say, because the farmers are getting a better price now
14:45for their stock that they're selling,
14:47but they're also having to pay a greater price to replace
14:50that stock that's already exited the farm.
14:52The processors have to give more to the farmer,
14:55but they're also receiving more.
14:57So it's just basically a shift in the price equilibrium
15:01to another price point.
15:03But ultimately, buying and selling cattle is a gamble.
15:08On the day, bad weather meant that livestock boats weren't travelling,
15:12meaning less demand from exporters
15:14and driving down prices somewhat.
15:18But Gerry and Donald weren't complaining.
15:21It's still a big improvement on previous years.
15:24What's the average?
15:26The average price per head is €2,800.
15:30Not a bad result, but a little bit shy of maybe where you were hoping?
15:34Absolutely, but you have to take what you get on the day.
15:37What about you, Donald? What's your take on it?
15:39Absolutely, no, it's solid enough.
15:40You couldn't be complaining about them figures.
15:41Is that the end of the sales for you for this year?
15:43No, I have another sale here this day a week.
15:46Another bite of the cherry?
15:47Another bite.
15:52Just over 4% of farmholders in Ireland are under the age of 35.
15:58One such person is Sophie Bell, and I've come here to her farm in Cavan
16:03to find out how optimistic she feels about her future on the land.
16:0927-year-old Sophie Bell grew up on this farm,
16:13but moved to the UK to study agricultural science after school.
16:17She came back with new ideas and a determination to make the farm work for her.
16:23Until three years ago, Sophie's father raised beef cattle here.
16:29But Sophie wanted change, so she now operates a farm where she doesn't own any of the livestock she rears.
16:36When I finished university in 2021, I decided I don't think there's a future for us on this farm if we don't change the system.
16:46So I'm contract rearing dairy heifers for another local dairy farmer.
16:51It allows us to be paid a monthly rate, and we know what that is.
16:55So it's really helpful for us because we're a small farm and it's very hard to rely on prices that aren't decided for us if we were in beef or dairy.
17:04So this is like a bed and breakfast, basically, for the cows?
17:09Yeah, essentially, yes. And we're just rearing the next generation in the best way we can for the farmer.
17:16Sophie runs this 56-acre farm in partnership with her father, Henry.
17:21They both have full-time off-farm jobs.
17:25Sophie is in the civil service and Henry is a lorry driver.
17:29Their situation is common around Ireland where 54% of farms are under 60 acres in size
17:38and 42% of farmers have an off-farm income because the land cannot support them full-time.
17:45You're not solely dependent on this farm for your income. Is that some help?
17:50It is a help, yeah, because I can just rely on that wage to sustain my own living.
17:57With the farm, that can be separated and I can use that to invest back into the farm.
18:03So the farm wouldn't be as viable as it is if I was taking a wage from it.
18:08So all the profits from the farm at the moment are going back into the farm to reinvest?
18:12Yes, and I think that's the situation for a lot of farmers.
18:15Not many take a living wage from it.
18:18For a lot of farmers, it's just a way of life.
18:21It certainly is a way of life for Sophie.
18:26On the weekend, she's up early to milk cows for local farmers.
18:32And when she's not working on the farm, she manages her social media.
18:40It's far removed from the days when Henry worked this land on his own.
18:44Hello, Henry.
18:45How are you doing?
18:46How are you doing?
18:47All right.
18:48You fixing there?
18:49Trying my best, yes.
18:50Trying your best, yeah.
18:51You look very similar.
18:54That's good.
18:58Has the farm been in your family for long?
19:00It's over 60 years anyway.
19:02My mother and my father had it and then my father died and then my mother had it then.
19:08And she transferred it over when I was 27.
19:13I wonder how you feel about the future here.
19:15You're still a young man yourself.
19:18Thanks.
19:21Sophie's sure to continue on and build it up better and make an improvement in it.
19:27Yeah.
19:28You need to be all the time thinking ahead.
19:30And Sophie has that thing that you never had, which is social media.
19:34Yeah.
19:35And the potential income from social media as well.
19:38It's an interesting part of farming with young farmers in particular, isn't it?
19:41Yes.
19:42That would help too, to increase profits and sustain farming.
19:47Sophie's social media channels generate income for the farm and give her the chance to road test new products.
19:54It's really helped the farm along.
19:56We've had GPS on the tractor and we've had different products such as worm testing kits and various things like that, that we might not always have been able to consider on the farm.
20:09But as a result of that, it's helped bring it along so much more.
20:12Sophie, as a young female farmer, is part of a very small but important cohort when it comes to the future of farming both here and across Europe.
20:24In Ireland, 87% of farmers are men and the average age is 59 years old.
20:31In your area, your local community here of farmers, what are you seeing with the next generation coming through?
20:38I am seeing a lot of motivation and a lot of young people coming along and introducing some really fabulous ideas on farm and in terms of business as well.
20:49But I am seeing also a lot of people moving away because it's just so difficult.
20:56But I have found that the next generation is so intrigued and they're always reaching out on social media as well, especially a lot of young farmers, especially women.
21:08And I went back to my old school where I spoke to the fifth class.
21:12It's a very small school and there was 10 young girls who were wanting to pursue a career in agriculture, which is great to see.
21:20Until five years ago, Sophie's mother, Stephanie, did a lot of the farm work here until Sophie took on more responsibility.
21:28It's great that she's taken on my role there because he would probably listen to her an awful lot more than he ever listened to me.
21:36So, I know it doesn't happen everywhere. So, I mean, it is, it's sort of like with great pride that she is able to handle the farm and just keep everything so much under control.
21:49Do you think that's true? Do you have control of your father?
21:52Yes. Most of the time.
21:55You're getting there. You're getting there, yeah.
21:57It's been really important, clearly, that she's in partnership with her father.
22:01Yeah.
22:02Yeah.
22:03So, there is that clear path.
22:04Yeah. Because I think in an awful lot of farms you can just be working.
22:09Working and waiting.
22:10Working and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting.
22:12And then there's still sort of that doubt whether you're just waiting in vain.
22:17So, I think it's great to be clear on what actually is happening.
22:22Sophie's made some significant decisions in order to keep this farm viable.
22:27But she's also conscious of ensuring that she herself can continue to farm long into the future.
22:34I would love to just keep the farm as it is.
22:37I don't want to be farming hundreds of animals and pushing myself to that limit.
22:43I want to keep it small and I want to make sure that everything's sustainable in terms of social life, in terms of labour and, you know, just maintaining my own health too.
22:54I think that's always something I want to play part of this whole journey.
22:59So, fingers crossed that remains an option.
23:07That's it for this week.
23:08Next week on Near to the Ground, Stephen brings us a reminder of last summer on a glorious day for harvesting.
23:15This year has kind of been perfect for us to get, you know, decent crops.
23:18Like we had rain when we needed it and we got sunshine when we needed it as well.
23:21Ella is on the trail of one of Ireland's most deadly invasive species.
23:26Lurg, mink.
23:28So you just have to go quite a pace to keep up with them.
23:31And I'll be meeting a Wicklow alpaca farmer.
23:34I don't have a farming background really, so this is still a steep learning curve.
23:38You know, I'm trying to see how do I make the farm work and earn its keep.
23:42Good girl.
23:43Oh!
23:44Don't forget this programme will be repeated on Sunday at lunchtime after the farming weather.
23:49You can contact us on Facebook and follow us on X.
23:53And you can hear more farming stories on Countrywide this Saturday morning on RTE Radio 1.
23:59RTE Radio 1.
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24:29RTE Radio 1.
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24:31RTE Radio 2.
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