Published Wednesday, 03 August 2011
Farmers at the Fermanagh County Show in Enniskillen on Wednesday were in good form about what has been a good year for them, despite economic pressures elsewhere.
"The sector is in a very positive mood, farming and food production is one of the great drivers of the Northern Ireland economy," said UFU President John Thompson.
"People always need to eat and they need good quality food and we're known for producing that.
"The great growth areas are the opportunities to provide food to emerging nations such as China, and that is where the future of food production lies."
One of the show's organisers says farming is not as profitable as it could be, with costs continuing to rise.
William Graham, Vice-Chair of Fermanagh Farming Society, added that farming is the backbone of the rural community in the west.
"There's good improvement on two or three years ago, but unfortunately costs are also going up, so while the profitability has increased, it's not as high as you would expect.
"Food fertiliser and feed have at least doubled in the last three years; it's eating away at any benefit.
"Supermarkets have a long way to go," Mr Graham added.
"They give an inch or two but they're still getting the lion's share of the retail price and the farmers are getting the leavings."