Final call for Tullamore mart fundraiser livestock sale

THERE are just days to go. On Monday, September 28, the gates of Tullamore Mart will open for what it is hoped will become something much bigger than an ordinary livestock sale.

For one day, Tullamore Mart will become a meeting place between two farming communities, one here in the Midlands of Ireland and another thousands of miles away in Africa. And there is still time for you to be part of it.

The organisers of Midlands Farmers for Africa, a farmer-led fundraising initiative in aid of Self Help Africa, are making one final, heartfelt appeal to farmers across the Midlands and throughout Ireland, "Would you consider donating one animal to the sale?" A calf. A weanling. A heifer. A bullock. A bull. A cow. Or another suitable animal aged three months or older. One animal. That is all we are asking.

Because one animal donated by one Irish farmer can become something much greater than its sale value. It can become seeds in the hands of a farmer. Training for a young agricultural entrepreneur. Veterinary support for livestock. Better farming practices. A more resilient crop. A new income. Food on a family's table. A child remaining in school. It can become hope.

This appeal began with Offaly farmer Pat Mahon, who understood that perhaps the most powerful people to ask for help for farming families in Africa were Irish farmers themselves. Farmers understand farming.

They understand the uncertainty of rain and drought, the pressure of rising costs, the worry of livestock prices and the responsibility of trying to provide for a family. They understand what it means to look at an animal in a field and know that its health and wellbeing are connected to the future of a farm.

And perhaps most importantly, farmers understand the simple rural principle that when somebody is struggling, you don't walk past them, you help them. That spirit of neighbourliness is at the heart of Midlands Farmers for Africa. It is farmers helping farmers. It is rural Ireland reaching across the world and saying to another farming family: “We see you. We have not forgotten you. And we want to help.”

The response so far has been deeply encouraging, but with the sale now only days away, Pat Mahon and the organisers are asking every farmer who can possibly help to consider donating. Recent coverage of the campaign has highlighted the appeal from farmers across the Midlands and further afield, with Tullamore Mart and the IFA supporting the initiative. Tullamore Mart is waiving its fees, meaning the proceeds from donated animals can go directly to Self Help Africa.

The money raised will not simply disappear into a distant fundraising pot. Self Help Africa works alongside rural communities, supporting people to build livelihoods that are more productive, sustainable and resilient.

Its programmes include agricultural training, improved livestock and breeding practices, veterinary support, access to markets, climate-smart agriculture, enterprise development, women's farming initiatives and support for communities facing increasingly unpredictable weather. And the need is becoming more urgent.

Self Help Africa has warned this month that a strengthening El Niño could bring further disruption to rainfall and temperatures across Africa, increasing the risks faced by small-scale farming communities already dealing with the effects of climate change. For a farmer living on the edge of survival, a failed harvest is not simply a bad year. It can mean hunger. It can mean debt. It can mean livestock being sold. It can mean children missing school. It can mean a family losing the income it depends upon. But resilience can also be built.

A farmer can be given knowledge. A family can gain access to better seeds. Livestock can be improved. Water can be made more accessible. A farmer can be connected to a market. A woman can be supported to develop her own agricultural enterprise. And suddenly, something changes. The family is no longer simply surviving. It is beginning to build a future.

So, with just days remaining, the message from Midlands Farmers for Africa is simple: If you can donate an animal, please do. If you cannot donate an animal, please tell a farmer who might. If you are an agricultural business, spread the word. If you run a mart, co-operative, veterinary practice, feed business, machinery company, rural organisation, sporting club, parish or community group, please help us get the message out.

Midlands Farmers for Africa – Special Fundraising Livestock Sale in aid of Self Help Africa. Farmers are invited to donate a suitable animal, male or female, aged three months or older. Tullamore Mart is supporting the fundraiser and is waiving its fees, with proceeds from donated animals going directly to Self Help Africa. Animals can be collected and brought to the mart on behalf of donors. The appeal is particularly focused on Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny, North Tipperary, Meath, Longford, Roscommon and East Galway, but farmers throughout Ireland are invited to support the initiative. You can also make a donation to Self Help Africa at www.selfhelpafrica.org or by contacting Pat Mahon or Ronan Scully.

To donate an animal or make a donation or find out more:

Pat Mahon, 083 423 8887, [email protected]

Ronan Scully, Self Help Africa, 087 618 9094, [email protected]