There was a generally buoyant buzz about the trade show and conference this year – the mood seemed upbeat. Minister Hayes was very sprightly, leaping up onto the podium to deliver his speech.
Mairéad Kilpatrick was steadfastly refusing to herd any conference attendees this year – happily all the people that had to be there made it to the conference hall ok.
David Small from the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland gave a detailed account of what the department is up to help the mushroom industry, when he jointly opened the conference proceedings. Monaghan Mushrooms were hosting refreshments which the minister sampled – they were very tasty.
As one industry person said when asked how’s things going? - "Head down and arse up!" It was a typically terse Tyrone response, but caught some of the prevailing mood in the country.
Hopefully the conference's mood of optimism will seep into all corners of the industry.
