Dutch Agriculture

MickeyShtyles

One of the major differences is the Dutch are able to make a better product and a cheaper one.

frazzledhome

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

One of the major differences is the Dutch are able to make a better product and a cheaper one.

Having worked there many moons ago, the big difference is the fact that their Dutch and we're Irish. Huge level of organisation, very low drawings and the ability to make the most of what they have. If we were there we'd drown and if they were here they'd feed the world.

Take a drive and look at what land is covered in rushes here and at what land is under utalised. Here it's about do enough to collect the subs, sheds only built when grants available. Don't eat me but this attitude is very much to the fore in Ireland

daithicarr

Birdnuts wrote: »

Holland is one giant flat delta with warmer and drier summers than ours. Most of Ireland can't really be compared to it in terms of soil, topography or climate.

I understand there is a climatic difference along with soil etc, but is it solely down to that. Their farms are about 9 times more productive when you take in the size comparison of the two country's.

Would a marginally better climate be that more productive, would a lot not be down to how its managed ?

daithicarr

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

One of the major differences is the Dutch are able to make a better product and a cheaper one.

well obviously if they manage to take up a much larger share of the market relative to their size. How is the question

micraX

daithicarr wrote: »

I understand there is a climatic difference along with soil etc, but is it solely down to that. Their farms are about 9 times more productive when you take in the size comparison of the two country's.

Would a marginally better climate be that more productive, would a lot not be down to how its managed ?

If farms here were 9 times more productive where would the stuff be sold? It's hard enough to sell what already is produced.

MickeyShtyles

daithicarr wrote: »

well obviously if they manage to take up a much larger share of the market relative to their size. How is the question

That I can't really answer. I just know this from workin in the fruit&veg industry.

st1979

micraX wrote: »

If farms here were 9 times more productive where would the stuff be sold? It's hard enough to sell what already is produced.

You would export the produce. Just the same as the dutch do.

That is the question how do they do it and why cant the rest of us. One thing they are good at is cooperatives. Which we also have in the milk business. But i think they have in most of there products like flowers and veg etc

Looking at holland it is amazing how every square inch is used. I saw a patch the size of a small garden in a triangle shape and they had cut maize on it. I just wouldnt bother. and dont think many of us would. The crops of maize were planted right up to the edge of the water filled ditch. One slip of the hand and the sowing tractor or harvester would end up in the water.

Negatives is there is no wildlife. No bushes or trees etc. And alot of the water had evidence of enrichment from runoff as the water was green. But i dont believe you could farm with so many ditches of water all around you and have crystal clear water. It really is like having a canal around every field boundary.

I came home and reckoned we in ireland have more opertunities than them. As they are maxed out. We are far from full production

sheebadog

Helluva lot of Dutch buying French land.
No more room for expansion in Holland.

Conmaicne Mara

st1979 wrote: »

Negatives is there is no wildlife. No bushes or trees etc. And alot of the water had evidence of enrichment from runoff as the water was green. But i dont believe you could farm with so many ditches of water all around you and have crystal clear water. It really is like having a canal around every field boundary.

This is why the EU have such a hard on for the Environment here. Actually they're way more committed to our environment than our own are.

sheebadog

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

This is why the EU have such a hard on for the Environment here. Actually they're way more committed to our environment than our own are.

Con the EU are commited to the environment across all states. It's getting more difficult to explain the huge agri budget to the taxpayers.

micraX

st1979 wrote: »

You would export the produce. Just the same as the dutch do.

That is the question how do they do it and why cant the rest of us. One thing they are good at is cooperatives. Which we also have in the milk business. But i think they have in most of there products like flowers and veg etc

Looking at holland it is amazing how every square inch is used. I saw a patch the size of a small garden in a triangle shape and they had cut maize on it. I just wouldnt bother. and dont think many of us would. The crops of maize were planted right up to the edge of the water filled ditch. One slip of the hand and the sowing tractor or harvester would end up in the water.

Negatives is there is no wildlife. No bushes or trees etc. And alot of the water had evidence of enrichment from runoff as the water was green. But i dont believe you could farm with so many ditches of water all around you and have crystal clear water. It really is like having a canal around every field boundary.

I came home and reckoned we in ireland have more opertunities than them. As they are maxed out. We are far from full production

Well traditionally the Neatherlands feeds Europe in the summer and Spain does in the winter. Hard to break that, look at all the Spanish York cabbage In the shops at the minute, there's 5 acres fit, covered over the winter and all at home and struggling to shift 100 crates a week.
There was a co-op around here, North Dublin growers but that went a few years ago. And there was a co-op years ago but money went missing etc.

daithicarr

id imagine its hard for a co-op or any grower to survive if there is dumping of cheap goods for below cost on our market as outlined in the article I posted earlier.
I suppose the size of our market is so small it is vulnerable to predatory acts such as that

sheebadog

micraX wrote: »

Well traditionally the Neatherlands feeds Europe in the summer and Spain does in the winter. Hard to break that, look at all the Spanish York cabbag. In the shops at the minute, there's 5 acres fit, covered over the winter and all and struggling to shift 100 crates a week.
There was a co-op around here, North Dublin growers but that went a few years ago. And there was a co-op years ago but money went missing etc.

Bang on. Retail needs continuity of supply. The weather and the infrastructure in Ireland fall short.
Add to that the ignorance of the Irish shopper about quality,local,in season,veg.

micraX

sheebadog wrote: »

Bang on. Retail needs continuity of supply. The weather and the infrastructure in Ireland fall short.
Add to that the ignorance of the Irish shopper about quality,local,in season,veg.

Well I wouldn't say the infrastructure falls short, most things can be produced here with glasshouses, poly tunnels and crop covering. It's just the markets wont take produce, and growers don't help them selves by under-cutting each other, vegetable business is full of backstabbing, and that's no exaggeration.

kevthegaff

what gets my gander is in ireland the amount of wasted land at each sides of roads, the new M7 has some amount of it on both sides

micraX

kevthegaff wrote: »

what gets my gander is in ireland the amount of wasted land at each sides of roads, the new M7 has some amount of it on both sides

A lot of land each side of motor ways is tired to bog, it destroys drainage, but thats a different topic all together.

daithicarr

given we seem to have an abundance of under utilized land and a much lower productivity rate , I wonder is there any way the government could promote the adoption of some of the methods used in Holland without resorting to protectionist methods?

Also I dont quite understand why lots of seemingly unused land isint at least planted with forest of some sort.
Im not a farmer, but I get the impression from what I read that we dont meet our full potential.

I know its not the 1800's anymore, but back then Ireland used to be the breadbasket for Great britain. it produced huge amounts of grain during the Napoleonic period , the climate isint completely unsuited to growing.

micraX

daithicarr wrote: »

given we seem to have an abundance of under utilized land and a much lower productivity rate , I wonder is there any way the government could promote the adoption of some of the methods used in Holland without resorting to protectionist methods?

Also I dont quite understand why lots of seemingly unused land isint at least planted with forest of some sort.
Im not a farmer, but I get the impression from what I read that we dont meet our full potential.

I know its not the 1800's anymore, but back then Ireland used to be the breadbasket for Great britain. it produced huge amounts of grain during the Napoleonic period , the climate isint completely unsuited to growing.

I know what your saying and I share your views completely, I hate seeing wasted ground and ground not being used to full potentional ie. Short corners, overgrown ditchs and hedges. But where I am in Dublin nearly every bit of ground is used, I'm tilling fields at the minute that where sold for mad money during the boom. I'd love to reclaim all that unused land down the country but it's too far away. We are always after new ground, even an acre or 2 provided its not to far away.

Conmaicne Mara

sheebadog wrote: »

Con the EU are commited to the environment across all states. It's getting more difficult to explain the huge agri budget to the taxpayers.

Point was the EU beuros are more pro environment in practical terms than Irish beuros who look at that money and try to figure out how to spend it on anything but the environment.