MY WEEK
His trip to New Zealand brought home to him the importance of a qualified farm labour force, something Shane believes is being neglected by the Irish agricultural authorities.
“In New Zealand we had a big team running the farm outside Christchurch but they were mainly Indians and people from the Philippines who were working there. The same thing is happening here these days with a lot of the hard work being carried out by immigrants. And with the economy improving and more workers transferring back to the construction industry that trend is likely to continue,” he says.
Shane is an only son and he says his father encouraged him to complete his business studies in Waterford IT first so he did not have to worry about the ever-expanding paperwork load for the Department of Agriculture and the Co-ops.
“The partnership with Dad is working well. We work well as a team and I do all the financial stuff including the form filling which Dad has always hated.”
His mother Bernie, who comes from what Shane describes as “non agricultural” Tramore, works off farm at a Co Waterford frozen food factory, while his sister Sarah (25) also has a business degree from WIT and works as an accountant locally.
And just in case there is any slip up in the form filling Shane’s girlfriend Kathy also works as an accountant in Waterford.
Off farm he has the normal interests of a 26-year-old, including Waterford GAA and rugby although his main interest would be travelling.
Education
“Myself and Kathy don’t like sitting around so we take as many breaks as possible and always travel somewhere in Ireland of interest in our spare time. We are passionate about getting around the country to see things,” he says.
Shane’s overall view of the current agricultural scene is simple: “There’s a lot of young farmers out there with a lot of drive and passion wanting to make things happen. It’s important to spend time in education and to improve yourself ”
So what’s Shane’s next ambition I ask? “I was talking to a few people recently and I might apply for a Nuffield scholarship and see how that goes,” he replies.