Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Tom Hayes TD, officially opened Charleville Agricultural show today at which over 20,000 people were expected to attend.

Minister Hayes complimented the show organisers on a huge range of competitions and events taking place over the two day event. He said that the show was a very important event for the town, and was a real showcase of the best of what the area has to offer both visitors and people living in the Munster region. Speaking at the launch, the Minister commended the high standard of entry in all classes and said “the show was an excellent community event for the north Cork region. It was an example of how an area could work together to help farms and small businesses create jobs, and provide opportunities for producers throughout rural Ireland”.

The Minister added “the Government intends to drive a very ambitious growth agenda for the agri-food sector and to increase the value of exports from the sector to €12 billion by 2020. That means increasing the volume of food production in Ireland by a third over the next decade. Farm families throughout this region all have a key role to play in helping drive this growth, which will help contribute to economic recovery and job creation. The show has become a social highlight of the year for many people in Cork and surrounding counties. A fine array of entries from livestock, horses, horticulture, home produce, horticulture are to be seen in one excellent location at the showgrounds. Shows like this help to strengthen the link between food production and rural activities with all sections of the community. Economic regeneration and of rural areas will depend on farming and new businesses in places like the Golden Vale”.

Minister Hayes thanked the organisers and the chairperson Ian Wharton in particular for the great voluntary effort in staging the show. In conclusion he wished all the visitors and entrants a successful two days of competition.

Date Released: 28 June 2013