At last week’s National Ploughing Championships, there was no need for tow ropes and tractors standing by at the ready, as in previous years, to pull cars out from sodden fields.

The three days of glorious sunshine made accessing stands and meeting people not seen for years a pleasure.

Alongside the new shiny metal machinery, a lot of thought had gone into some stands that were there, not simply to portray a corporate message but to genuinely connect face to face with farmers and potential clients.

Intellectual property

In the Enterprise Ireland technology tent, there was an intellectual property office.

Maybe it was there in previous years but I had never been conscious of it before. Given the importance in this age of specialist apps, as well as scientific modifications and breakthroughs, it is fundamental that inventors and developers have an informed view early on whether their projects can be patented or not and so whether the income generating capacity of a new idea can be protected.

Developments

I am sure I missed many of the new developments that were on display, but I had never realised that there was a new process that dramatically reduced the amount of nitrous oxide produced by nitrogen fertiliser.

Given that nitrous oxide is such a potent greenhouse gas at 265 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide and almost 10 times the potency of methane, it’s clear that this work is of real importance in convincing legislators and climate scientists that farming’s calculated role as a contributor to climate change can be dramatically reduced.

Couple this with the work on additives in reducing methane emissions from livestock and it’s clear that farming can meet emission reduction targets – regardless of whether we agree with the basic arguments or not.

Another area I was conscious of was the EU acceptance of new national designation of Grass Fed Beef.

The European Commission had a stand and well-informed staff who came in from Brussels who were able to explain clearly the basis behind the protected designation of origin (PDO), which applies to our Irish Grass Fed Beef and the protected geographical indicator (PGI), which simply specifies where a named product is manufactured.

Whiskey

Irish whiskey is a particularly good example where, unlike Irish beef, there are no restrictions on where the ingredients come from.

The only condition is where it is actually produced. So no problem with French maize in Irish Whiskey. Though no Spanish grapes in French Champagne!