IFA to Hold National Horticulture Meeting
IFA Horticulture chair Mark Walsh has announced that IFA will hold a national meeting for horticulture growers next Wed, Mar 6th at 8pm in the CityNorth Hotel, Gormanston, Co.Meath.
The meeting will address the major challenges in the horticulture sector with guest speakers from Teagasc, Bord Bia and DAFM on the night.
Mark Walsh said the sector is under severe pressure due to market challenges, input costs and longstanding issues such as staff and land availability.
These issues must be addressed, or the reduction in the number of growers will inevitably continue.
The latest report from Teagasc [1] outlines how input costs have not abated for the sector. Since the first report in 2021, combined horticultural inputs have risen by on average 40%. In 2024, the standout issue is labour costs, and this is a key driver of overall input price inflation.
“We have lost key growers in the past three years. The sector requires joined-up thinking from all Government departments to address these issues, or this downward trend will continue,” he said.
All growers are encouraged to attend this importance meeting of all horticulture commodities.
[1] https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2024/Horticulture-Crop-Input-Prices-2024.pdf
