Demonstration farm has increased traffic on road in Offaly

A demonstration farm owned by The Farmers Journal has increased the volume of traffic using the Brocca Road, the February meeting of Tullamore Municipal District heard.

Councillor Oliver Bryant said ''there is a huge volume of traffic there since they took it over. Also it is one of the roads to be used when the ploughing comes back in September."

Cllr Bryant asked for something to be done there regarding traffic management.

Councillor Shane Murray echoed what Councilor Bryant said, ''I was out at that particular farm. The Farmer's Journal had an open day there. It is surprisingly bad, There was also a video shot there for a commercial. I spoke to a few of the locals out there. It is very bad,'' he said.

Cllr Aoife Masterson agreed, adding that there was a huge change in that area. She remarked that at one time ''you would barely run into a car, but it is now a high traffic area. With the upcoming ploughing it might be time to reconsider what we are doing in that area,'' she said.

The farm chosen by The Farmer's Journal is in Brackagh, Screggan. It consists of 180 acres split into three blocks of 100 acres, 60 acres and 20 acres. 60% of the land is free-draining, while the remaining 40% is heavy in nature with some drainage work required.

The farm has welcomed various groups and hosted an open day last July which attracted large numbers