The fact we have only one leek grower left in Ireland speaks volumes for a horticultural sector that has been decimated by low margins and cost inflation.

At the Women & Agriculture conference in Kilkenny this week, we learned that consumers are changing what they eat as young people travel and explore new foods.

The narrative is that Irish farmers need to change from the traditional meat and milk production to alternatives, such as vegetable growing. I’ve no issues with farmers changing what they do or grow.

However, farmers can’t be expected to move into a specialised sector and then see produce sold at a knockdown price, well below the cost of production.

This makes no sense commercially or environmentally. At the very least, farmers need a minimum three-year positive margin projection.