Chinese chiefs buy in to Boherbue
Top level delegation fascinated by family farm, where they get royal treatment
CHINA has a population of more than 1.3 billion people – including over 300 million farmers – and its vast agricultural and rural portfolio is overseen by Minister Han Changfu.
Last Friday, Minister Han found himself more than 8,200 km from home and on very different ground as he spent over two hours on a farm walk at the holding of Gerard and Majella Murphy at Knocknageeha, just outside Boherbue village.
However, what was meant to be a one hour walk turned into two as Minister Han, via an interpretor, asked farmer Gerard Murphy many questions about many aspects his farm.
At one stage of the walk, he said he was impressed with the docility of the stock and asked with a smile “are we here to see them or are they here to see us?” as the cattle stood curiously watching the group of 40 people passing through their field.
The visit is significant for the area as Irish beef exports to China – the first European country to gain access to the huge market – are expected to double by 2020.
CHINA has a population of more than 1.3 billion people and it has in excess of 300 million farmers, and its vast Agricultural and Rural portfolio is overseen by Minister Han Changfu.
On Friday, Minister Han found himself more than 8,200 km from home and on very different terrain as he spent over two hours on a farm walk at the holding of Gerard and Majella Murphy at Knocknageeha, just outside Boherbue village.
Minister Han was joined by the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Yue Ziaoyong, along with 40 others as they were led around the farm and saw grass based beef systems including finishing steers and heifers and cows. They also saw Charollais ewes, lambs, and wild bird cover consisting of linseed and oats which was sown for the Glas scheme. He also saw bird boxes and a 2,000 year old ringfort at the Murphy farm.
At one stage of the walk he said he was impressed with the docility of the stock and said with a smile: “Are we here to see them or are they here to see us?” as the cattle stood curiously watching the group of 40 people passing through their field.
They were in Ireland at the invitation of Minister Michael Creed who back in May travelled to China to build on a €100 million export market for frozen Irish beef to China. Minister Creed told The Corkman that Minister Han’s visit “demonstrates again the close working relationships which have developed between the Irish and Chinese authorities in relation to agri-food cooperation.”
He said: “Minister Han has been a good friend to Ireland and was accompanied Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Mayo in 2015. I was pleased to have this opportunity to follow up on my meeting with the Minister in Beijing last May and to welcome him to my home county of Cork”.
Minister Creed said he also thanked Minister Han personally for his assistance with the detailed process which resulted in the approval of Irish beef access to the Chinese market. “I expressed the hope that we will be able to begin the process for sheep meat access next,” he said. China was Ireland’s third most important export destination last year, and the country’s second most important for both dairy and pig meat exports.
Early on Friday morning, the Chinese delegation went to Teagasc Moorepark where they were greeted by Minister Creed and at that meeting, a new Action Plan for Co- Operation between the two Ministers was signed. There was also a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agricultural Co- Operation where agricultural trade, food and safety controls along with rural development and information technology was also discussed.
Then it was off to Longueville House for lunch where the group was greeted by the Minister of State, Andrew Doyle.
Prior to arriving in Ireland, Minister Han had requested a visit to an Irish drystock farm. Fergus O’Suilleabhain from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine contacted Teagasc for help to source a suitable grass based sheep/beef farm in the North Cork region, and the Murphy’s kindly took up the mantle and volunteered to host the visitors.
Gerard and Majella operate a mixed suckler beef and sheep enterprise. The cows are bred to a Charolais bull and all stock are finished on the farm as 20-24 months steers and heifers. They also lamb 100 Charollais ewes in January and lambs are sold to the factory at 18-22kg carcass weight. The Murphy’s are involved in a number of farm schemes, including the green, Low- Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS).
Throughout the two hour walk, Minister Han and Dr Yue asked the Murphys many questions about their farm and stock. Gerard Murphy told The Corkman that Minister Han was only to stay for one hour but he was clearly in no rush as he was very interested in his new surroundings.
Mr Murphy said Minister Han asked him about his cattle and their silage, to how did he control weeds to the task of the electric fence.
“He was very engaging and took a great interest in absolutely everything. He asked my daughters what they were
studying in college and what they do on the farm, and about the depth of the soil and how deep it had to be ploughed and how often,” said Mr Murphy.
“We were really delighted to have him here in Boherbue and the Chinese delegation that was with him. He was a very nice man and took such an interest in absolutely everything and asked lots of questions through his interpreter who was also very nice,” said Mr Murphy.
Tara McCarthy, CEO of Bord Bia and Michael Houlihan, Sector Manager of Bord Bia were also on hand to show the link between the Murphy’s farm practices and the Origin Green Programme, which they had discussed earlier in the day.
In addition, Fergus O’Suilleabhain and Ted Curtin from the Department of Agriculture answered both environmental and veterinary queries from the group, while Billy Kelleher and Aisling Molloy from Teagasc Advisory outlined the benefits of Ireland’s grass-based system and provided information on farming schemes.
The Chairman of Boherbue Co- Op, Eugene O’Connor welcomed the delegation. Declan O’Keeffe CEO of Boherbue CoOp said that the Murphy family farm highlighted to the Chinese delegation all the “positive aspects of Irish grassland beef and sheep production.”
“In particular, what was very impressive was the manner in which Gerard, Majella and their daughters raised their livestock in a sustainable environmentally sensitive way,” said Mr O’Keeffe.
The Chinese delegation left Boherbue to again meet with Minister Creed for dinner and left the following morning for Iceland.