Time to dig in!

BURGERS, TEA (& HAY) TO BE GUZZLED AS EVENT RETURNS

HUNGRY punters will devour a quarter pounder every second and guzzle 70,000 cups of tea over the next three days at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.

The annual agricultural event kicks off today in Ratheniska, Co Laois and will run until Thursday with organisers expecting up to 300,000 people.

But humans aren’t the only ones who will need to be fed — as event planners say 300 bales of straw, 100 bales of hay and seven tonnes of meals will be consumed by more than 1,000 livestock.

Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association Anna May McHugh told RSVP about her highlights over the years.

She said: “I am so proud that the World Ploughing Championships have come to my home county of Laois.

“The locations have been fixed right up until 2038 so I won’t see it in Laois ever again.

“Our priority is always safety on site because there is a large amount of machinery moving.”

She added: “There was nothing for women until I asked for permission to run a fashion show.

“The chairman said to me ‘It is a ploughing match we are running’ but I left knowing that I was going to put on a fashion show. We have had it ever since.”

When asked if she had any plans to step back, she said: “It doesn’t bother me.

“When I find I am not able to do the work that is expected of me, I will know myself.”

The event which has been Europe’s largest outdoor event since it started back since 1931 is now in its 91st year.

It is estimated to boost the Irish economy by a staggering €50 million.

Tech

It comes as Fine Gael’s Colm Markey has said this year’s National Ploughing Championships is an opportunity to showcase green technologies in the agricultural sector.

The Midlands North-West MEP explained: “Agriculture is the only sector which has been at the centre of fierce debate around emission reduction targets.

“Earlier this year, the farming community was unfairly labelled as being reluctant to change which couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Right around the country, farmers are embracing new technologies and are willing to go further to make agriculture even more sustainable.”

FASHION: Celia HolmanLee and her models Eva, Jessica and Ashling with NPA managing director Anna May McHugh on site at Ratheniska, Co Laois FULLY STOCKED: The site in Co Laois and (above l-r) burgers, tea and hay all prepared POPULAR: Crowds at a previous event and (left) impressive machinery on show