77,000 people have attended the first day of the 2026 National Ploughing Championships.

That's according to official figures announced this evening (Tuesday, September 15) from the National Ploughing Association (NPA).

The figure is down very slightly on the 78,500 people that attended on day one of the event last year.

Agriland once again held our Ploughing Livestream from our tent at the event at Block 4, Row 10, Stand 184, and we will be again livestreaming on days two and three as well.

Some of the highlights from today's livestream included an interview with Taoiseach Micheál Martin live on stage in the Agriland tent.

The Taoiseach has said the government "understands fully" that it has to "try and reduce pressures on farmers in particular, because food production is key to the country, key to Europe as well, because Ireland contributes to food security globally".

He said government has "done a lot in terms of succession - but we can always do better" and there is a need "to make farming meaningful" for young people to enter the sector.

We also had a live interview with Tánaiste Simon Harris, who responded to a survey for Agriland and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), which found that one-in-three farmers intend to exit farming in the next five years.

We also had Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, who spoke about TB, work-life balance on farms, and a range of other issues.

Separately, Minister Heydon also launched a report at the Ploughing, outlining progress in building a sustainable agri-food system in Ireland.

The report sets out key developments under Food Vision 2030 through which the agri-food sector collaborates to position Ireland as a global leader in sustainable food systems.

Minister Heydon said that supporting the ongoing viability and sustainability of the Irish food system is his “main priority”.

Agriland will be back tomorrow (Wednesday, September 16) for another packed schedule of events, so be sure to drop by at Block 4, Row 10, Stand 184.