Some of the features at the Balmoral Show 2025 on Thursday morning, May 15, the second show day. All the best from Northern Ireland agricultural on display during the showcase event. The show was bathed in sunshine for the entire week of the event
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Could you please introduce yourself and tell us what it is you do?
00:04Sure. Hi everybody. My name's Ciarán Corley and I have a snail farm.
00:08I have one million snails on the farm and I harvest the snail slime to make skin care products,
00:14especially for people who suffer with eczema, psoriasis or dermatitis.
00:19Two and a half thousand years ago, they were using snail slime to combat these problems.
00:24A guy called Hippocrates, the guy who invented the Hippocratic Oath,
00:28he was the first one to document and to use snail slime in skin care because he didn't have a chemist on the farm.
00:36What got you into this snail farming?
00:38I started to farm my snails for meat, okay, but after three months of working with the snails,
00:44my arms had previously been covered with scars because I had, you know, motorbikes and I had a car accident.
00:50Different things, I had 50 years of life and after three months, all of my scarring had gone.
00:55And I went, oh, what has done this?
00:59Then came lockdown and I spent lockdown researching what was in snail mousse that was so good for skin care.
01:06You've got hyaluronic acid, allantoin, collagen, glycolic acid.
01:11A snail heals his own skin, he heals his own shell if he cracks it, using the healing power of snail mousse.
01:17And how does one farm snails then?
01:21So I have a large, it's 16 metres long by 30 metres wide, it's like a tunnel, okay.
01:30It's covered by a netting to keep birds away from the snails because snails would be a juicy treat for the birds, okay.
01:37So I keep them protected around the outside with steel because vermin, nice, would love to nibble on with the steel as well.
01:46And I feed them and I keep them watered because they love moisture, humidity, that's what they want.
01:51So I have sprinkler systems going, I have feeding bays going and they're fascinating to watch.
01:57Sir, could you introduce yourself and tell us why you're here today?
02:04Yes, I am Clam Gilbert from Mockeragall Methodist Church and I'm here just to represent the Methodist Church and just be a witness to them.
02:16Why do you feel it's important to show up at the Balmoral show?
02:19Well, I just feel that people are out for the day and they just love to come and open up and share about their problems.
02:30And we as a church just feel that we can give them some information, leave them with some information and literature of how God can help them in their lives.
02:42Have you been at this show before?
02:45For years.
02:46For years, how many years would you say?
02:48Well, from whatever started here in this new site here, we've been here, I suppose, I don't know, I can't remember the year it started, but we're here from whatever started at the May is here.
03:04And how have you found people react to you over those years?
03:07Absolutely wonderful, wonderful.
03:09We just have been so encouraged to hear some of the lovely stories of just what the Lord's doing in their lives.
03:18And have you won many converts, do you think, over that period of time?
03:23Maybe not personally on the stand, but it's lovely to hear people share about how they come to faith.
03:33Understood.
03:33Sir, can you introduce yourself?
03:37Tell us why you're here today.
03:39So, my name's Brian Monson from Health and Safety Executive.
03:42And we're here today to try and raise awareness of some areas of health for farmers that we're talking to today at Calum World.
03:52What are you particularly focused on?
03:54One of the key areas today is starting to raise awareness of farmers' lung health.
03:59Quite often people think that farmers live in a lovely environment in the outdoors, but actually they're exposed to a lot of dusts and chemicals which can damage their lungs.
04:09A lot of what, sorry?
04:11Dusts and chemicals.
04:12So, they're involved in dusts and chemicals which can damage their lungs and over a period of time can result in some pretty serious conditions.
04:21So, we're using lots of visuals here today to try and raise awareness of maybe, for example, some of the dusts they come about and some of the things that they can do to reduce that and keep themselves healthy.
04:34And what's been the reaction you've been getting from folks you meet?
04:37This has been really, really positive today. A lot of people who are saying that they didn't realise that there were problems and also they didn't realise that a lot of the solutions are relatively simple and straightforward.
04:50So, it's been very, very valuable getting that message out.
04:53And what kind of solutions have you in mind?
04:56So, a lot of the things we can do are quite simple.
04:58So, for example, here's an example of dust from a tractor floor and if people simply can keep their tractors clean and dust it out, cleaned out, then they'll reduce the dust flow.
05:12Working up wind, wetting down surfaces before they're brushed and then using the right sort of masks and we've been providing advice on what sort of masks they can use.
05:23Mr. Alistair, what brings you to Balmoral?
05:26Well, because, of course, it is the premier agricultural show in Northern Ireland.
05:31It's a gathering of all that's best in terms of agriculture to celebrate that and to see the progress that's been made in the industry.
05:41Because, of course, it is our primary and founding industry and when farming prospers then the economy prospers.
05:50So, it is key to all of that and, of course, it is a time of flux as it has been since we were left behind during Brexit under the EU's Customs Code, imposing a border in the Irish Sea and subjecting us to the ridiculous rules of their single market.
06:09Which, of course, has impinged upon agriculture as it has upon all consumers.
06:15So, that is always a lively issue and one which I suspect will be in a renewed focus with the proclaimed reset that is supposed to be coming when I fear the government is going for the whole United Kingdom, the larger roll over, to become a rule taker in respect of the EU rules.
06:35Well, when it comes to today, is there anything in particular you've got your eyes on?
06:40Well, meeting with constituents and farmers from across Northern Ireland, it's always a good opportunity to talk to people.
06:48People are always eager to talk and to see what's on their minds.
06:52Because, as a politician, you need to know what's on your constituents' minds if you're going to be an effective voice for them.
06:58So, I always like to engage and this is a glorious opportunity to do that in the most glorious of weather.