PEOPLE across Ireland are being urged to buy real Christmas trees this year in a bid to support the nation’s tree growers.
Agriculture Minister Michael Healy-Rae has urged people to support producers who have to put in up to a decade’s work before their offering can be harvested.
“I am encouraging the public to support the Irish Christmas tree sector by purchasing a real Irish Christmas tree this festive season,” Minister Healy-Rae said today as he visited a Christmas tree farm in Co. Kildare.
“This will support our local producers who have put in seven to ten years of dedicated work to produce top quality Christmas trees,” he explained.
Minister Michael Healy-Rae met two generations of Christmas tree farmers, Darragh Kelleher (centre) and his father Martin (right)(Pic: Maxwell Photography)Irish growers produce around 700,000 Christmas trees each year, with 450,000 sold at home and about 250,000 exported abroad, mainly to the UK.
The sector contributes an estimated €21m to the Irish economy annually, Mr Healy-Rae confirmed today.
During his visit the minister met with two generations of Christmas tree farmers at Kelleher’s Christmas Tree Farm in Naas, Martin Kelleher and his son Darragh.
He recalled his own time spent selling Christmas trees in his youth.
“As a young fella of about ten years of age I used to cut Christmas trees and deliver them on my bicycle around the parish,” Mr Healy-Rae said.
“I’ll never forget the joy people had when a real tree arrived at their door,” he added.
“There’s a magic in the smell of a real Christmas tree in the house. It’s a tradition rooted in Irish homes for decades.”