Jer Coakley from Cork and Dan Donnelly from Wexford did their country proud at the European Ploughing Federation (EPF) championship in Switzerland this weekend (August 19 and 20).
In all, 23 competitors vied for the honours – including the two men from the Republic of Ireland. There were also two competitors from Northern Ireland – namely James Coulter and David Jamison.
Also Read: Irish ploughing team departs for Europe-wide competitionThe competitors come from a long list of countries – as far away as Russia.
This European reversible ploughing contest was a two-day affair; running on Saturday and Sunday.
Jer Coakley from Co. Cork took the top honours at the European Ploughing Federation championship (reversible ploughing) in Diessenhofen, Switzerland. He came first overall
Dan Donnelly from Co. Wexford came second overall. He operated a John Deere tractor and Kverneland plough
James Coulter from Northern Ireland came third overall in the Europe-wide competition. He used a Ford / New Holland tractor and a Dowdeswell plough
David Jamison, also representing Northern Ireland at the event, came sixth overall. He operated a John Deere tractor and a Kverneland plough
Most competitors used Kverneland ploughs; one (from Scotland) used an Overum; a competitor from Denmark used a Molbro plough.
They drove a variety of tractors, including New Holland, Ford, John Deere, Case IH, Kubota, Valtra, Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Deutz-Fahr and Same models.
Interestingly, New Holland is a partner (sponsor) of the EPF.
The contest is organised by the EPF, to which the Republic of Ireland’s NPA (National Ploughing Association) is affiliated. The NIPA (Northern Ireland Ploughing Association) is also affiliated to the federation.
The 2017 European contest was the 34th such event in the federation’s history.
