Wexford carrot grower encourages people to eat more fresh, locally grown and in season fruit and veg

A Wexford carrot grower has teamed up with Bord Bia for the ‘Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables’ campaign…

The campaign encourages Irish millennials to boost their intake of fresh, locally-grown fruit and veg. As part of the initiative 18 Bord Bia Quality Assured growers producing turnips, tomatoes, strawberries, parsnips, leeks, carrots, lettuce, Bramley apples, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, raspberries, cucumbers, red eating apples, brussels sprouts, herbs, and mushrooms feature in a video series titled ‘Out of the Ground’, with 13 videos currently featuring on the website and 5 more in production. This series highlights the great care and attention that goes into producing a crop of the highest quality fresh produce.

Dockrell Farms

John Dockrell is a carrot grower based in Monroe, Co. Wexford. In the video, John explains that the carrot sowing process begins in late January , and the first crops are harvested in July, depending on the growing season. Sowing continues monthly until May, ensuring a steady supply of fresh carrots throughout the year.

Once harvested, the carrots undergo a number of processes in the packhouse, involving soil removal, washing, cooling, grading, and final packaging. Committed to sustainability, Dockrell Farms has implemented various eco-friendly practices, including the creation of a wetland habitat to recycle and retrieve soil from wastewater.

‘Out of the Ground’ Series

Launched in May 2022, the three-year EU co-funded, multi-country campaign, ‘Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables’, highlights the health benefits of eating fresh, locally-grown, in season fruit and vegetables, while also providing recipe inspiration on fruitnveg.ie. As part of the campaign, a video series was developed to improve Irish millennials’ understanding of how their fresh produce is produced, from farm to fork. ‘Out of the Ground’ also highlights the sustainability benefits of local produce.

The series profiles local growers around the country and shows the production processes necessary to produce a quality crop. A ‘Local Growers and Suppliers Map’ profiling many of the key growers within the industry is available on the campaign website (fruitnveg.ie).

Commenting, Lorcan Bourke, Sector Manager for Fresh Produce and Potatoes at Bord Bia told Wexford Weekly that:

“Bord Bia have been aware that many people may not appreciate fully where their fruit and vegetables come from and particularly the level of work and preparation that goes into growing crops. The campaign has provided an opportunity to profile some of the top grower professionals of crops in the country. The 18 videos developed on individual crops seek to educate Irish millennials on the important work that takes place at farm level to produce fresh, local, and in season fruit and veg. By buying locally grown produce, the public is sustaining our grower network and farming communities for future generations.”

Watch the ‘Out of the Ground’ series to learn more about how fresh, local, and in season fruit and veg is grown and visit fruitnveg.ie and @lifeisbetter.ie for further information and recipe inspiration.