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Shroove farmer moves to
France
04.03.08
FARMER George Hegarty
admits he hasn't a word of French but that didn't
stop him buying a 300-acre farm in France and moving
there for a better life with his family.
The 43-year old Shroove man emigrated in December
2006 to get things ready for his wife Aine and their
four children who joined him there last summer.
The Hegartys have settled in Limousin – a region in
mid-west France and the native home of the pedigree
cow of the same name.
"It was just getting harder and harder to farm in
Inishowen," he says. "Two of my boys are very
interested in farming but I just couldn't see how
the farm would sustain their two incomes in the
future.
"We thought long and hard about it and it came down
to either scaling back here and getting a job, or
moving."
George has spoken to a number of Inishowen farmers
since his move and says there’s a level of interest
locally in emigration. He wouldn't be surprised if
several more moved abroad to farm in the coming
years. |
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"I first got interested
in France when I went over there on an agriculture
course in October 2005. You saw what they had
available for farmers and the land and the stock
prices were very attractive. The French Government
thinks highly of their farmers and the French
farmers' union is very strong."
George, who farmed sucklers |
and sheep in Inishowen,
cites bad weather, the threat of bovine illness and
poor prices among the reasons he decided to leave
Donegal.
“You get the same price in France for a one year old
animal as you would for a two year old here and you
don’t have the expense of keeping them in feed for
another year. You can also leave the livestock
outdoors most of the year in France.”
When in Inishowen George farmed around 250 acres but
his holdings were spread from Inishowen Head right
up to Redcastle and beyond. "Sometimes you'd have
half a day over you and it was all spent driving in
the jeep."
He decided to sell some of land and went over to
France to find the best farm his money could buy.
They bought a three-bedroom bungalow about 9km from
the farm but are currently having a new house built
on their land, overlooking a lake.
"It's a lovely setting and if we ever decide to move
back home, at least we'll have a nice place here to
sell."
George, who farms pedigree stock and also grows
wheat in France, returns a number of times a year to
tend to his remaining farming interests in Inishowen
and to see his mother Margaret, sisters Sarah and
Anne and their families.
As he looks out at the stunning coastal view over
Shroove lighthouse during his week-long visit home,
he admits it was hard to leave in the first place.
And one of the other things he misses about farming
in Donegal is the local mart.
"There are no marts in France and you would miss the
craic and the catching up on all the news. In
France, a producer comes out to your farm and offers
a price that you either accept or turn down. It's
better in the long term to stay loyal to one
producer though.” And how does he manage without the
language? “We just write a price on a piece of paper
and take it from there.” The Hegartys enjoy the
French food, the climate and the laid-back way of
life. Aine and the children, ranging in age from 3
to 13, have learned a lot of the language in their
short time there. Now it’s just left for George to
be able to answer ‘oui’ when someone asks him
‘parlez vous Francais?’” "I will definitely take
lessons, whenever I get the time,” he laughs. |
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