Carlow faces losses of €45m as Ploughing Championships are cancelled
THE south-east faces a hit of around €45m after it was confirmed this year’s National Ploughing Championships is the latest major event to fall foul of the coronavirus pandemic.
A highlight of the farming year, over three days each September the ploughing championship attracts almost 300,000 people from all over the world to view its exhibits and trade shows.
Anna Marie McHugh, assistant managing director of the event, said following a meeting of the National Ploughing Association (NPA) executive, a decision was made to cancel this year’s event due to take place in Fenagh, Co Carlow.
The NPA still hopes there will be an opportunity to run the ploughing competitions behind closed gates.
“It’s a tough day for us, but everybody’s conclusion was the same. In the interest of public safety, running just wasn’t an option,” she said.
“The association could never live with the risk that we could have brought a second wave of the virus into Carlow.”
The cancellation of the event for the first time since the foot and mouth crisis in 2001 will be a huge loss to the Carlow area, with an annual economic impact believed to be in the region of €45m.
Anna Marie McHugh, NPA assistant managing director. people attend the Fenagh event, while the national ploughing firm’s balance remains strong – accounts at the end of January 2019 showed the firm had accumulated profits of €13.3m.
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