We are well into lockdown mode and are now heading into the third week with at least another three weeks of the same.

The government announced last week that lockdown will continue until May 5th when, at that date, the situation will be reviewed. The vast majority of people are staying at home. The streets in our cities and towns are very quiet now. This coronavirus is making our country a strange place to live in and it is taking its toll on a lot of businesses around the country.

With regard to the service dealer industry, it’s like a tale of opposites. The agricultural sector (and to a lesser extent the sportsturf sector) is bearing the brunt of COVID-19 quite well. However, the same cannot be said for the garden care and domestic machinery sector. This is not doing as well as the agricultural business.

One of the reasons for this is that farmers are listed as part of the government’s essential workforce that needs to stay operational. They are the producers and suppliers of our food and they need to be allowed to work on the land to prepare for the sowing of crops. Their machines need to be kept operational. Up to now we have had three weeks of fine weather. Farmers and contractors have been taking advantage of the dry ground conditions. With all these tractors and machines at full output, there will be the inevitable breakdowns and spare parts will need to be ordered. Agricultural dealers are busy taking orders over the phone and taking the precautionary measures to get them delivered or making arrangements for customers to collect them.

On the other hand, lawnmower sales have dwindled as people are staying at home and tending to their gardens (using their old mowers). This sector is seen as ‘non essential’ and, as a result, many dealers have temporarily closed down, letting their employees go. However, those that remain open do so with limited staff and workshops will only carry out emergency repairs and breakdowns while parts are to be ordered over the phone.

Meanwhile, our golf courses remain temporarily closed but groundstaff are allowed to travel to work to maintain their courses. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has badly affected one golf club in Co. Kerry. Castleisland Members Golf Club may not reopen its gates when the lockdown is over. The club has sent a letter to its members informing them that the club will be wound up this month unless a rescue plan can be formulated. Let’s hope that a rescue plan will be found.

The closing of golf courses has led to some problems in that a few members of the public are using them as walking areas, now that the danger of being hit with a golf ball is gone.

Outdoor events up to the end of June and into July have been cancelled or postponed. These include GLAS 2020, FTMTA Grass & Muck 2020 and many of the agricultural shows around the country.

It looks like this lockdown is going to continue for a few weeks more but I hope that the end is soon in sight. I would like to think that, by the time I write my next blog, we will have a time frame for a resumption of life back to normal, whatever shape that will take.

To major shows for the agricultural and groundscare machinery sectors have been forced to postpone due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

FTMTA

The Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) have announced that the FTMTA Grass & Muck 2020, schedulued for May 14th, has been postponed due to the current Coronavirus/COVID-19 situation.

FTMTA Grass & Muck in 2016

The health and safety of all stakeholders, exhibitors, visitors and the general public is of paramount concern and the FTMTA urges everyone to stay safe and follow all official protocols during this time.

Working with Gurteen College and exhibitors the event is now anticipated to take place in mid to late August. All decisions around this event will be made based on official protocols and the FTMTA will continue to update you on this.

The FTMTA would also like to thank everybody currently working in frontline services helping those affected.

GLAS 2020

GLAS 2020 exhibition, due to take place in Citywest Hotel on July 16th has been postponed to a later date in the year, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

It is ironic that the venue for this exhibition, the Citywest Hotel Conference Centre, is being turned into a stepdown care facility for Covid-19 patients who are recovering from the infection. The 450 beds earmarked for the facility will only be used once capacity in hospital settings has been exceeded.

Visit www.glasireland.ie for updates on GLAS 2020

The COVID-19 crisis is presenting immediate and severe financial challenges for businesses.

Here are some practical steps, supports and guidance to help your business which has been made available by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Visit www.dbei.gov.ie for their complete guide and recommendations.

Talk to your bank

All the banks have announced that they will offer flexibility to their customers, and they may be able to provide payment holidays or emergency working capital facilities.

Take immediate steps to manage your cashflows

Look for scope to:

• Lower variable costs
• Delay discretionary spend
• Extend your payables
• Expedite your receivables
• Explore supply chain financing options

Use available government supports for working capital

• The Credit Guarantee Scheme supports loans up to €1 million for periods of up to 7 years. Applications can be made to AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. Eligibility criteria apply. Credit Guarantee Scheme for COVID-19 FAQs
• Microenterprises can access COVID-19 Business Loans of up to €50,000 from Microfinance Ireland. The terms include a six months interest free and repayment free moratorium, with the loan to then be repaid over the remaining 30 months of the 36-month loan period. Loans are available at an interest rate of between 4.5% and 5.5%. Businesses can apply through their Local Enterprise Office or directly at microfinanceireland.ie. Eligibility criteria apply. Microfinance Ireland COVID-19 Business Loan FAQs
• The new €450m SBCI COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme for eligible businesses supports loans from €25,000 up to €1.5 million (first €500,000 unsecured) with a maximum interest rate of 4%. Applications can be made through the SBCI website at sbci.gov.ie. Eligibility criteria apply. SBCI COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme FAQs
• An additional €200 million in COVID-19 funding for the Future Growth Loan Scheme, which will be released in tranches, will provide longer-term loans to COVID-19 impacted businesses.
• The new Sustaining Enterprise Fund of up to €180 million is specifically aimed at firms with 10 or more employees impacted by COVID-19 that are vulnerable but viable. The fund is operated by Enterprise Ireland, providing repayable advances of up to €800,000 as agreed with the EU under new State Aid rules.

Get advice

Get advice from your accountant or use the advisory support available from your Local Enterprise Office.

Check your insurance cover

Check if your insurance policy covers you for an interruption in your business, or a temporary business closure, caused by COVID-19.

Engage with Revenue

Revenue has provided COVID-19 information and advice for taxpayers and agents experiencing difficulties caused by the impacts of COVID-19.
Revenue has also issued updated advice to SMEs experiencing cashflow difficulties arising from COVID-19. This includes information on tax returns, late payment interest, debt enforcement and tax clearance.

Be aware of other government supports

• The government has announced a National COVID-19 Income Support Scheme. This provides financial support to Irish workers and businesses affected by the crisis.
• COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme: The COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme enables employees, whose employers are affected by the pandemic, to receive significant supports directly from their employer through the payroll system. The scheme is operated by Revenue and is expected to last 12 weeks from 26 March 2020.
• Pandemic Unemployment Payment: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is a payment of €350 per week. It is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MyWelfare.ie is the quickest and easiest way to apply for payments - all you need is your email address, PPSN and bank account details.

On MyWelfare.ie all customers can

• apply for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment
• apply for Enhanced Illness Benefit for COVID-19 including for self-isolation cases
• apply for a jobseeker’s payment
• request to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

• Short-time Work Support: Employees of businesses that need to reduce hours or days worked can avail of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Short-time Work Support.
• Grant supports: The full range of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Local Enterprise Office and Údarás na Gaeltachta grant supports continue to be available to eligible firms to help with strategies to access finance, commence or ramp-up online trading activity, reconfigure business models, cut costs, innovate, diversify markets and supply chains and to improve competitiveness.
• Business Continuity Voucher: The Local Enterprise Office Business Continuity Voucher is designed for businesses across every sector that employ up to 50 people. The voucher is worth up to €2,500 in third party consultancy costs and can be used by companies and sole traders to develop short-term and long-term strategies to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Trading Online Voucher: The Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Voucher is a government grant scheme, designed to assist small businesses with up to 10 employees. It offers financial assistance of up to €2,500 along with training and advice to help your business trade online. Businesses that have already received a Trading Online Voucher can now apply for a second voucher, where upgrades are required.
• COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme: A new COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme will be administered by Enterprise Ireland and will be open to retailers employing over 10 people. The total fund size will be up to €2 million under this competitive call. The objective of the Scheme is to support companies in the indigenous retail sector with a pre-existing online presence to respond to both the domestic and international consumer demand for a competitive online offer. Grants ranging from €10,000 to €40,000 will be awarded under the competitive scheme.
• COVID-19 Business Financial Planning Grant: The COVID-19 Business Financial Planning Grant, worth up to €5,000, is designed to help companies to develop a robust financial plan, including the preparation of documentation required to support applications for external finance from banks and/or other finance providers. The grant is a new support for Enterprise Ireland clients and those manufacturing or internationally traded services companies that employ 10 or more full time employees.
• Lean Business Improvement Voucher: The Lean Business Continuity Voucher is available to eligible companies to access up to €2,500 in training or advisory services support related to the continued operation of their businesses during the current pandemic. It is open to small, medium or large client companies of Enterprise Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta (including High Potential Start-ups). The voucher may be used to obtain services from approved providers.
• Competitive Start Fund: The Enterprise Ireland Competitive Start Fund, worth €750 million, is open to early stage companies in manufacturing and internationally traded services. The maximum support available is €50,000 for a 10% ordinary equity stake in the start-up company. The call closes on 14 April at 3pm.
• Bord Bia marketing grants schemes: Bord Bia is widening its marketing grants schemes in response to difficulties companies are facing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis with the introduction of its COVID Response Marketing Support Package.
• Supply chain workers: The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of Health have prepared COVID-19 guidance for supply chain workers. The guidance provides these essential workers with information as regards their continued work, the importance of access to sanitary facilities and the importance of maintaining all elements of the supply chain.
• Workplace Protection and Improvement: The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) has published a COVID-19 Workplace Protection and Improvement Guide outlining preventative measures businesses can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Retail Protection and Improvement: The NSAI has published a COVID-19 Retail Protection and Improvement Guide to help retailers manage business continuity during the COVID-19 emergency.
• Standards for medical supplies made freely available: NSAI and SAI Global have developed the COVID-19 Response Package which will provide free access to Standards for medical devices and personal protective equipment.
• Commercial rates deferral: The government has agreed support for businesses impacted by COVID-19 through commercial rates deferral.
• Training and Mentoring: The Local Enterprise Offices have moved training programmes, workshops and networking meet-ups online, covering areas such as cash management in a crisis, leading your business through COVID-19 and advice for employers impacted by the crisis. To find out more telephone or email your Local Enterprise Office.
• Filing of annual returns: The Companies Registration Office has introduced changes to annual filing obligations for companies to assist companies during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Employment Permits System Contingency Arrangements: The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has implemented a contingency plan to ensure that the Employment Permits system will continue to operate in all scenarios during the COVID-19 crisis: COVID-19 Employment Permits System Contingency Arrangements.
• First Responder support service: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation will provide a joint First Responder support service through the Intreo Offices and development agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in each region to provide tailored supports for impacted firms.

Meath Farm Machinery has announced the sale of a “black beauty” in the form of a black-edition Kramer KL55.8T telescopic loader - the first such machine to be sold on the island of Ireland.

The Kramer KL55.8T telescopic loader at the Meath Farm Machinery premises before delivery to a farm in North county Dublin

Landing on Irish shores just last month, the Meath-headquartered firm announced the sale of the loader.

The first Irish owner of this machine was revealed to be well-known potato and tillage farming family Paud Flynn & Sons in North county Dublin.

The new owners will be using the black liveried beast for stacking straw in reeks, handling grain and fertiliser among other jobs, Meath Farm Machinery has said.

Packing plenty of punch, the loading shovel is powered with a 156hp Deutz engine.

Swapping its standard green livery for a sleek black-and-grey paint job, the four-wheel steer is combined with a 5.5t tipping load, 5.2m stacking height and 187L/minute hydraulics, according to the machinery dealership.

‘Strategic Alliance’

In recent years, John Deere and Kramer revealed that compact, all-wheel-steer loaders and telescopic loaders under the Kramer brand will, where possible, be sold through the John Deere sales network – as part of a “strategic alliance”.

In the Republic of Ireland, Kramer loaders are marketed through some - but not all - John Deere dealers.

In order to minimise human contact and still provide a high level of service to customers, Claas UK has launched its Parts Doc electronic parts catalogue on its website for customers.

Available to users throughout the UK and Ireland, Parts Doc enables customers to identify any parts they require, which can then be ordered through their local dealership.

Parts Doc can be accessed either via the www.claas.co.uk or www.claas.ie websites where it can be found under the ‘Service + Parts’ – ‘Applications’ heading or directly via ‘www.claas.co.uk/service new/applications/spare-parts-catalogue’.

From here, having selected the machine type and model, the customer then needs to enter their machine’s serial number to bring up the appropriate machine sections, from which they can then identify the parts they require. For simplicity, instead of a long parts number, each part is given a simple drawing number.

Once they have found the parts they require, to order the parts required, the customer needs to contact their local Claas dealer and give them the machine model or serial number and appropriate drawing number for the part, which the dealer can then cross-reference to the full part number and advise on price and availability.

Once ordered by the dealer, the part will be dispatched from the central Claas UK Parts warehouse at Saxham for next day delivery to the dealership for collection by the customer. For parts that have to be dispatched from the company’s Parts Logistics Centre in Hamm, Germany, again, say Claas, the majority of these items will be delivered overnight direct to the dealership for next day collection.

Major Equipment recently delivered their Tri-Deck mower TDR20000 to Royal Tara Golf Club.

The TDR20000 Tri-deck at Royal Tara Golf Club

“We’ve got a very mature, year-round course here,” said Jim McElroy, head green-keeper at The Royal Tara Golf Club in County Meath. “We have long, undulating drives, mostly lined by beautiful trees. And with my team of six green-keeper colleagues, we maintain the course to the highest and utmost standards. We kind of live the course and I believe it shows.”

Nestled in the Cluide Woods amongst the Tara Hills, the 27-hole complex features sand-based greens for year-round playing, tree-lined fairways and rolling hills.

“We used to use a ‘ride-on batwing mower’ but that was very slow, not so good at avoiding scalping and was quite expensive to maintain, both in terms of replacement parts and downtime,” commented Jim. “We needed a high performance mower, which was easy to operate and simple to maintain, with low running costs.

The Major Tri-Deck eliminates all the issues Jim and his team had before. The unit is a three-deck winged mower that unfolds to 6.1m (20’) wide cutting width. The three-point pivot system combined with front and rear rollers allows the machine to glide over surfaces and leave a striped finish without scalping the grass. Its ten rotors have 40 contra-rotating blades that overlap by 75mm to ensure all material is finely chopped so nutrients can return quickly back to the soil.

“This is one of the best pieces of equipment that we have at The Royal Tara,” enthused Jim. “We set the cut-of height for the rough at about 60mm (2.3 inches) and if we wanted to we could set it as low as 10mm (0.4 inches) – and without scalping. When you look at the finish it leaves, with the effects of the front and rear rollers, it’s just like we would get with a cylinder mower – if not better!”

It is nice to get a good news story amidst the coronavirus crisis we are experiencing.

This is a story of how 18 year old Tomás Kelly from Cahir, Co. Tipperary is using a modified old John Deere Gator help him fly fish on his own without the help of his parents.

Tomás Kelly in his modified John Deere Gator with engineer Shane Phelan. Photo: RTE press

Tomás became paralysed at the age of 16 when he underwent an operation after complaining about pains in his back. Unfortunately, during surgery, Tomás suffered several strokes, which left him paralysed from the neck down and unable to speak. This devastated his parents. Since then he has made some recovery in that he has regained his speech and is able to use his arms.

Using his arms has enabled him to puck a ball from his hurl while in his wheelchair. He is also able to drive the farm’s old John Deere Gator, which is at least 12 years old. He uses it to drive to the nearby River Suir to go fly fishing. However, in order to do this, he needs his father to accompany him to help him get out of the Gator into his wheelchair and back into the Gator again when he is finished.

"It would make a huge difference to be able to come down on my own," Tomás says about the possibility of going fishing by himself.

"If I came down on my own I'd only be able to look at the river as I'd need someone to take out the chair," Tomás admitted.

Shane Phelan, an electronics engineer who works in robotics and specialises in farm equipment, came to Tomás’s rescue. He observed Tomás’s difficulties and came up with a solution.

Shane spent almost a year making a motorised mechanical arm for Tomás’s customised Gator to mount and lift down his wheelchair. The delighted 18 year old can now go fly fishing on his own.

This story was recently documented on RTE’s The Big Life Fix series.