Next week, some of Ireland’s top agri-tech and agri-machinery companies will be exhibiting at Fieldays – the largest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere, which takes place in Mystery Creek, Waikato, New Zealand from June 12-15.
With a focus on quality engineering, cutting-edge technology and innovation, Fieldays is an excellent showcase platform for innovative Irish firms keen to expand in New Zealand and beyond.
Many well-known Irish companies sell into the New Zealand market
As well as being attended by the whole agriculture industry in New Zealand – farmers, agri-businesses, research organisations, government and other industry stakeholders – it also attracts international farm machinery and equipment buyers from Australia and across the broader Asia-Pacific region.
New Zealand provides fertile ground for Irish machinery and technology, as equipment and technologies engineered and developed for the Irish market can be easily adapted to address similar challenges in New Zealand.
Many well-known Irish companies have been selling into the New Zealand market in recent decades, and there’s keen interest across the sector in this market.
Irish-owned companies are increasingly delivering innovative solutions which help maximise yield and minimise environmental impact, inputs and costs, helping make farming more efficient, economical and sustainable.
Irish innovations that will be of interest to New Zealand include equipment for precision farming, and technologies which automate on-farm processes and give farmers better oversight of operations.
An aerial view of the Fieldays show at Mystery Creek. Photo: Getty
These data-driven insights can help to inform more efficient decisions on the farm.
Climate-related initiatives also create opportunities for solutions, which can help agri-businesses operate more sustainably and reduce environmental impact.
Six firms will feature on the Ireland stand managed by Enterprise Ireland at Fieldays.
They include established agri-machinery firms who already have a strong New Zealand presence, such as Abbey Machinery and Dairymaster, as well as Galway- based JFC Group, which will show its Evolution automatic calf feeder.
Also on this year’s stand will be workwear and protective clothing specialists Portwest, along with animal DNA and genomic testing experts Weatherbys Scientific. Rounding out the six is Agri Data Analytics, a start-up from Offaly which has developed the Bovine Breathalyser, a device to measure methane emissions from cattle.
The networking opportunities at Fieldays will further strengthen ties
Partnering with local product distributors and dealers has proven to be an effective route to market for Irish firms.
As well as those companies on the Ireland stand, a further 10 Irish equipment brands will be represented at Fieldays by local dealers and distributors. These include Co Mayo’s Agri-Spread International, which is bringing its fertiliser and lime spreaders, and StrongBó Agri-tech, which is showing its Auto Weigher livestock performance monitoring system.
Other Irish-engineered kit at the show will come from McHale, Keenan, Hi-Spec, Major Equipment, Malone Farm Machinery, ProDig Attachments, Tanco Autowrap and Dromone Engineering.
The networking opportunities at the show will further strengthen the ties between both countries.
If you are an Irish agri-tech interested in attending Fieldays in 2025, or in exporting to Australia or New Zealand, contact Enterprise Ireland’s in-market team.
Eoin Hughes is market advisor in agri-business & waste for Enterprise Ireland in Australia and NZ