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IRELAND >
to control cobweb mould is not effective. When controlling this mould it is important to cover the infection with damp paper and salt to prevent spores being dispersed into the air. Brendan Burns, Sylvan, gave an update on a method highly popular in Ireland of generating steam and hot water using wood fuelled boilers. The ROI for this technology is less than three years in Ireland, and Northern Ireland also offers attractive schemes that make these boilers a very lucrative proposition. A new development is LED lighting. According to Burns this is a hefty investment, but here too the payback on an average farm is less than five years if LED lighting is used in the growing rooms. Renewable Energy Technologist David Trimble then spoke on using wind energy and solar panels. This technology will also become more widely used in the future, although at first sight Ireland seems to enjoy more wind than sunshine! Alice McGlynn from Bord Bia addressed traceability in depth, both at farm level as well as throughout the entire production chain. Michal Slawski then gave a clear overview of produc- tion, marketing and promotional activities in Ireland and the UK. The sector in both nations has undergone great change, mainly prompted by external factors( European competition). The number of growers in Ireland has declined from 1000 in the 1990s to 75 in the Republic of Ireland and 37 in Northern Ireland, with just 82 growers currently active in England. In the retail sector, Irish mushrooms have been gaining a greater market share for years, yet the sales value has been falling. The percentage of brown mushrooms is growing, both in Ireland and the UK. In 2011, Bord Bia started a three-year Anglo-Irish promotional campaign, with EU support. The campaign tar- geted female consumers in the under 45 age group and aimed to boost consumption by 23,800 tons. The ‘More to Mushrooms’ campaign was a resounding success, and in 2013 a three-year follow up campaign was started, again with co-funding from the EU. Duplicating this success has not been possible in the Netherlands.
Industry Session In conclusion, Paul Wilson (Monaghan Mushrooms), Padraic O’Leary (Walsh Mushrooms), Mel O’ Rourke (Sylvan Europe) and Thomas Martin (CMP) entered a debate with each other, and the floor, on the subject of ‘Growing Market Share’. The panel agreed that the Irish sector occupies a relatively healthy position. Consumption is rising, cultivation is highly efficient and investments in phase III com- post, various training, including picking, and promotion, plus trends such as ‘eat local’ are proving their worth. At the same time, the European market remains fiercely competitive, and food safety must be top of mind. O’Leary: “We could lose eve- rything the next time a food scare comes along.” The biggest
problem remains the low prices achieved by growers. Wilson: “Supermarkets have taken a short term view for too long. The objective, including for the retail trade, must be realistic, long term price development.” A watchful eye is being kept on the influence of the still growing Polish industry. Luckily for Irish growers, surplus production is exported to the east where Polish mushrooms achieve higher prices. O’Rourke: “The only market for Irish mushrooms is the UK , so we are dependent on the exchange rate, but the ‘Irish = local’ trend is to our advan- tage.” The panel members agreed unanimously that research is crucial to the future of the sector, at a time when governments are cutting research budgets. Martin:”If the accrued expertise vanishes, it’s not easy to get it back. A positive development is that research results are shared internationally, a great example of which is MushTV.” O’Rourke mentioned the keepa- bility of mushrooms as one of the spearheads for further study: “Consumers buy with their eyes; if we can keep the produce fresher for longer we could make significant progress.” Taken as a whole, the panel was reasonably optimistic, and Wilson concluded by saying: “There are still many things we can improve at operational level, after all we work with a relatively ‘young’ product!”.
Annaghmore Mushrooms The conference visitors had the choice of three farm walks on18 October. Kildorough Mushrooms in Ballyjamesduff, owned by Pat and Tomas Kiernan, numbers 25 tunnels. Martin McKee in Keady grows brown mushrooms. Also opening its doors was Lurgan-based Annaghmore Mushrooms, owned by Eamon Murray and Jelena Milos and affiliated to growers’ association Northway Mushrooms, where a newly installed pack-house was showcased. Following a speech by the deputy mayor in a marquee, Eamon Murray gave the guests a guided tour of the facilities. Murray grows using a high filling weight of up to 95 kilo/m2, which he sees as the way to produce better quality for his own trading channels. Annaghmore Mushrooms grows to a short cropping cycle, with two flushes, for the largest possible volume of mushrooms. Jim McDonnell, sales manager, conducted the tour of the new buildings with the packaging line and chilling department. The pack house features high tech equipment such as an advanced cooling system inspired by similar ‘shocker’ systems in Poland that fully chill a pallet of mushrooms within an hour of picking. This was followed by the official, and rainy, opening ceremony when David Small of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland (DARDNI) unveiled a plaque on the building. Back in the marquee it was time to eat, drink and be merry and gradu- ally a very successful event came to a close. ◗
More photos on
www.mushroombusiness.com
In the Monaghan Mushrooms stand.
International Sylvan team at the show.
During the farm walk at Annaghmore Mushrooms.
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