Since my last blog the number of Covid-19 cases have started to decrease, with hospital numbers decreasing as well. We all need to be extra careful and not let our guard down in order to curb this awful virus. Signs are looking good for the months ahead and, with vaccine centres being organised around the country, I hope that we will have a summer where people can travel around the country for holidays and get away breaks. However, it looks like that we will be remaining at Level 5 restrictions up until Easter (instead of March the 5th).

Hotels in my home county of Wexford have already seen bookings soar, as parents want to get away from their homes for well deserved breaks. Some hoteliers are even reporting that it will be a busier summer than last year.

This indicates that people can’t wait to spend their money and it is likely that most of it will be spent in Ireland as travel restrictions abroad will probably be still in place for that bit longer. During the lockdowns, people have had no opportunity to spend their money. This spending spree should have an effect on our own industry as well.

For example, I was speaking to a greenkeeper during the week and he said that, even though his golf course has remained closed since the 24th of December, membership numbers have remained steady. The club anticipates a huge increase in green fees as soon as restrictions are lifted, as people will be anxious to head off for golfing holidays – all within Ireland. This income coming into golf clubs and outdoor recreation areas such as parks and private estates should secure the future viability of these places, on which our industry depends. After all they rely on machinery to maintain their grass, trees and planting areas.

We are fortunate that, during all three lockdowns, sports pitch maintenance was seen as essential work. This meant that greenkeepers and groundstaff were kept in full employment, enabling them to continue with their work, whether it was mowing turf, digging drains, tree surgery or verti draining. These work schedules involved the use of machinery and equipment, so the need for spare parts and servicing still continued. Farming was also deemed essential work so agricultural equipment suppliers were largely unaffected, many operating a click and collect service.

Despite this positive background, some of the big trade shows such as LAMMA have cancelled their events for this year. Those shows, that have decided to proceed, have pushed the event to the end of the year, with some big company names having withdrawn from displaying at some of them. The National and World Ploughing Championships are going ahead in Ratheniska in Co. Laois from 15th -18th September. It will be interesting to see what the attendance will be like at this event. Will it be open to the public or be held behind closed doors, as was the case last year? The National Ploughing Association (NPA) is the organiser of the event and 2021 is a milestone year for them as they celebrate 90 years in existence. The 2019 event attracted 297,000 with almost 1700 exhibitors. What travel and social distancing rules will be applied, if any, this year?

We are still not out of the woods yet but I am optimistic about the remainder of the year. The only cause of concern I have is the supply chain of machine parts coming in and out of the UK as the teething problems of Brexit still need to be worked out