an estimated 83 per cent<\/a> of fruit and vegetables consumed in the Republic are imported from overseas. <\/p>\n\u201cWhen you hear about another veg producer going out of business, sometimes it\u2019s because there\u2019s nobody there following behind,\u201d McNally says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no children, or the farmer\u2019s children are not interested. They\u2019ve seen mum and dad work so hard all their life and why should they do it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately, three of the five McNally children are part of the family business. If it weren\u2019t for their involvement, \u201cPat and myself would be growing a tunnel of salads or something and that would be it,\u201d McNally says.<\/p>\n
Before 1997, they had been conventional farmers, raising livestock and growing barley and oats as well as vegetables.<\/p>\n
People like us, we had moved into growing courgettes and beans and mangetout<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0Jenny McNally<\/p>\n
From a commercial point of view, McNally says that there was no security around veg in the open market. You were \u201calways on a wing and a prayer\u201d, and never guaranteed a sale.<\/p>\n
That culture made life difficult for smaller farms, and it was compounded by a growing need for expensive equipment and machinery. <\/p>\n
McNally says that over time, a lot of sellers were pushed out. It suited supermarkets to work with larger, specialised operations focusing on large-scale production of individual vegetables.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople like us, we had moved into growing courgettes and beans and mangetout,\u201d McNally says. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were told if you don\u2019t have a refrigerated van and a cold store, you\u2019re not up to our expectations and our levels, so that was that. At the time, we had five small children and there was no way we could afford to even think of anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The solution was a stall at Temple Bar Food Market where they could sell \u201cwonky courgettes\u201d, beans that weren\u2019t topped and tailed, and \u201ccabbages that weren\u2019t all exactly the same size\u201d. It turned out a market for this sort of food existed. <\/p>\n
![\"Niamh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/F7RWEVLL7JEWJA3GDBZC6MIL4M.JPG\")
Niamh McNally and Jenny McNally at McNally Family Farm shop, growers of seasonal organic vegetables and salads, in Balrickard, Co Dublin. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n
McNally Family Farm veg can be bought at three markets today. Queues often form before they have had a chance to lay out their produce. They have built up relationships with their customers over three decades, many of whom have grown to appreciate the journey from farm to fork, are understanding of seasonal setbacks that impact the size or volume of what\u2019s being sold. <\/p>\n
This summer of 2026 \u2013 Ireland\u2019s hottest on record \u2013 was difficult for vegetable producers. <\/p>\n
A recent report carried out by Teagasc, the national agriculture and food development authority, found that in 2026, there were yield and quality losses of 25 to 40 per cent on unirrigated vegetable crops.<\/p>\n
Irrigated fields were protected, albeit at a price. For some crops, growers spent more than \u20ac2,700 per hectare on water alone, before equipment and infrastructure costs. <\/p>\n
Only 30 to 35 per cent of the Irish vegetable production area carries sufficient irrigation capacity. <\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s an increased cost of production,\u201d says Dermot Callaghan, head of horticulture at Teagasc. <\/p>\n
![\"Labour](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/JPDIIN5W2JBHXPCJA35Z62JQBM.JPG\")
Labour accounts for 43.4 per cent of input costs on horticulture farms, a Teagasc report finds. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n
\u201cIrrigation costs money to do, between \u2018cap-ex\u2019 and \u2018op-ex\u2019 \u2013 so, capital expenditure on the equipment and infrastructure, including reservoirs which may be needed in the future, and operational costs, the \u2018op-ex\u2019, which is the cost of actually moving irrigation systems, pumping stations, running diesel pumps to extract water and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The positive, he explains, is that Ireland has something of an advantage on its European neighbours when it comes to accessing water. <\/p>\n
Though investment will be needed for farmers to adapt to the effects of the climate crisis over the coming years, it should be cheaper to irrigate here than in hotter countries. <\/p>\n
Over the last few years, Teagasc has carried out a series of cost studies on horticulture farms, documenting a trend of rising costs that has not been matched by the farm gate price \u2013 in other words, the value of the farmer\u2019s produce as it leaves the farm.<\/p>\n
According to the agriculture and food authority\u2019s most recent report, labour accounts for 43.4 per cent of costs on horticulture farms. <\/p>\n
It is a figure that echoes Jenny McNally\u2019s concerns around the availability of labour in horticulture. Callaghan says the answer, where possible, is to adopt technology, automation and even robotics.<\/p>\n
Ireland could be growing huge quantities of fruit and vegetables<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0James O\u2019Donovan, Vegan Society of Ireland<\/p>\n
\u201cStill, there are crops which have to be touched by the human hand,\u201dsays Callaghan, \u201cand those are the crops which will obviously have a higher labour cost associated [with them], and will probably be the last to get automated. Having labour to do that job will be paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six supermarkets signed up to a \u201chorticulture grower-retail charter\u201d this year, establishing five \u2018key principles\u2019 intended to support a stronger and more sustainable sector. <\/p>\n
The charter commits to improved communication and promotion around Irish produce, as well as a sustainable approach to cost inputs and reduced food waste. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re prepared now to work on a longer, three- to five-year arrangement with growers, which is a big change because that will allow growers to invest in their businesses,\u201d Callaghan says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have a line of sight on having a market for their product.\u201d<\/p>\n
Efforts are being made to encourage more domestic growers. Over the last couple of years, the Department of Agriculture\u2019s Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) was opened up to horticultural producers. <\/p>\n
Recently, the scheme helped fund the digging of a new well on the McNally family farm. <\/p>\n
More than 250 commercial growers across fruit, vegetable and potato sectors are operating under Bord Bia\u2019s Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS), generating a farm gate value of about \u20ac652 million in 2025. <\/p>\n
Emer Gallahar Hall, the senior manager for horticulture at Bord Bia, says the drop in the number of individual vegetable growers in Ireland since the 1990s \u201cshould not be interpreted as a proportional decline in output\u201d, but rather a reflection of the reality that vegetable production is \u201cincreasingly concentrated among fewer, larger, highly specialised businesses\u201d. <\/p>\n
![\"There](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/7PJHF3KZMBC3NN3OT3B426754I.JPG\")
There are fewer than 70 commercial vegetable growers in Ireland today. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n
Ireland is a \u201cnet importer of fresh produce,\u201d Gallahar Hall says, though a substantial portion of imported fruit and vegetables, such as citrus fruits, bananas and Mediterranean crops, cannot be commercially produced in Ireland due to the Irish climate. <\/p>\n
Bord Bia recently launched HortLink, a community network for growers and professionals in horticulture to come together and share their experiences. <\/p>\n
It ties into another concern Jenny McNally raises: that sometimes the most important thing \u201cis to be able to chat to other farmers\u201d.<\/p>\n
Despite the various ongoing initiatives, Gallahar Hall notes that economic viability remains a key challenge in horticulture, with growers facing an increase of 51 per cent in production costs since 2021.<\/p>\n
The Vegan Society of Ireland suggests looking abroad. In October 2023, Denmark launched a world-first, plant-based action plan designed to increase the number of vegetarian foods in the national diet and reduce the climate footprint of its agricultural industry. <\/p>\n
Backed by a \u20ac170 million government fund, it targets a full suite of improvements to the Danish domestic food chain, from farms and food processors to retail and restaurants. In advance of Budget 2027, the vegan society called on the Irish Government to introduce a similar programme.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Ireland and Denmark are] super similar,\u201d says the society\u2019s chairperson James O\u2019Donovan on the potential for the agricultural sector. <\/p>\n
\u201cIreland could be growing huge quantities of fruit and vegetables.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donovan suggests that less food could be imported across the board. Sugar and bread, he says, have potential to become stronger domestic products. <\/p>\n
The vegan society advocates for a move towards organic foods \u2013 a transition that is also prioritised by Denmark\u2019s action plan.<\/p>\n
In May, the society commissioned a survey to gauge the Irish public\u2019s attitude to plant-based foods. Four in five respondents said they wanted to eat more fruit, vegetables and legumes, while 62 per cent said Ireland should make healthy, sustainable diets a national political priority. O\u2019Donovan sees this as a \u201cclear mandate\u201d for politicians to act.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quantity of fruits and vegetables that we\u2019re importing is huge,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe quantity of legumes and grains and tillage crops that we\u2019re importing is also huge. That\u2019s why we\u2019re calling for a holistic approach \u2013 just increasing Ireland\u2019s food security.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cNobody wants to work,\u201d Jenny McNally laughs when asked what might turn someone away from a career in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":651514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[97853,72,2885,52922,615,61,60,31615],"class_list":["post-651513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-bord-bia-irish-food-board","tag-business","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-change-advisory-council","tag-dublin","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-teagasc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}