A total of 225,500 people have attended the 2025 National Ploughing Championships.

The National Ploughing Association (NPA) confirmed that 62,000 attended the third day of the event today (Thursday, September 18).

This adds to the 78,500 who attended on Tuesday (September 16) and 85,000 who attended on Wednesday (September 17).

The total attendance over the three days is a decrease on the 244,000 that attended last year's Ploughing.

One of the stand-out events of day three of the Ploughing 2025 was the 2025 National Brown Bread Baking Competition, with the title going to Co. Mayo.

Maureen Igoe from Bonniconlon was the winner of the 2025 edition of the popular competition.

Speaking about her win, Maureen said: “I can’t quite believe it! I’ve been baking for over 50 years and this is definitely a highlight.

"People keep asking if I have a special ingredient, and I definitely think a drop or two of Guinness and a spoonful of treacle makes the difference.

"I’m going home to Mayo a very happy woman."

Elesewhere at Ploughing 2025, Agriland concluded its coverage of the event on our livestream, which ran from 12:00pm to 3:00p.m everyday of the event.

On today's livetream, Agriland spoke to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who spoke about the upcoming Budget 2026.

Deputy McDonald said that "talk is cheap" and that people will "look and judge for themselves" about the promises that all political parties made to the farming community in the last 12 months.

"At a point, people have to put their money where their mouth is. So the question will be who comes up trump's for farming, for agriculture, but also for rural communities more broadly, in respect of supports for people facing into a cost of living crisis, facing all of the constraints and challenges that face producers at this time," McDonald added.

Day 3 of the 2025 National Ploughing Championships also saw the launch of a new project to eradicate the invasive American mink in and around the midlands of Ireland.

The pilot initiative is aimed at protecting ground nesting birds from the threat of mink.

The Midlands Mink Eradication Programme is a collaboration between the Breeding Waders European Innovation Partnership (EIP) and the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC), and is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).