A brief walk around the Ploughing 2025 may give a flavour of the event, but it takes a little longer for the key new machines of this show to emerge.

There are a number of new items on show in Ireland for the first time and, as is often the case, it is Farmhand with the more spectacular display.

This year, they have placed a Pantera 7004 self-propelled sprayer up on the pedestal, which carries an impressive 6,500L, and is the first of this model to be found over here.

To match that capacity, it is fitted with a 45m boom, which must be one of the widest - if not the widest - boom brought into the country.

Abbey Machinery have brought three new products along: a new sheer grab; a mid-sized diet feeder; and a 65m³ nurse tank.

Within the slurry management sector, the emphasis has switched from turning out tankers of ever increasing size and sophistication to supporting the spreading operation in the field.

Nurse tanks have become an important part of spreading operations and Abbey are now able to provide a full spreading outfit that is fully integrated and designed to work together.

Tired of jumping in out out of his loader to couple and uncouple attachments, Co. Kilkenny dairy farmer, Seamus Kenny developed an auto-coupling device which enabled him to hook up and plug in a loader implement, such as a shear grab, without leaving the cab.

Named the Autocoupler, it requires the loader and implement to be fitted with the appropriate parts, the loader item having a ram which inserts the couplings into the reception ports on the implement.

Seamus has now passed on the rights to a larger manufacturer who intends producing them as retrofit kits but, more importantly, will be selling them to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to install on the production line.

Tanco's entry into the mower market has worked well for the company and, after five years, it has made a few upgrades to both its front mower and trailer-mounted wing mowers.

The fact that the upgrades were reasonably minor is testament to the soundness of the original designs, with a reshaped headstock for the trailed unit that gives good clearance to the lift arms, while a new axle unit will be fitted to 2026 models.

On the front, access to the blades has been made easier with lift-over side skirts. The front skirt has been given a new mounting system along with a pair of stabiliser rams that prevents the unit rocking when lifted out of work.

Being exhibited for the first time in Ireland is the Pronar T679 Dump Trailer, which has immediately struck a chord with Irish plant operators.

The trailer has been designed to carry a 10t digger with the dimensions chosen to accommodate machines of this size while still allowing it to be loaded by more compact diggers.

Alloy loading ramps are carried between the frame and body with an extendable frame being fitted to make their use easier.

The headboard is also curved to allow it to be unloaded from the front without residue needing to be shovelled.