Ploughing 2026 Live Day Three: As It Happened

Next year's location for the 2027 Ploughing Championships has been confirmed.

Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of day three of the National Ploughing Championships.

We'll be bringing you all the biggest stories from the final act of Ploughing 2026 in Tullamore.

The secret is out! Rathangan in Kildare is set to host the 2027 National Ploughing Championships.

The big reveal was announced on site alongside the overall results of this years competition.

The big reveal by NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh.

75,000 people attended Day Three - bringing this year's attendance to 243,000.

Anna Marie McHugh, Assistant Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association, says the Ploughing can never stay in one place:

Dublin's Olivia Nash is this year's National Brown Bread Baking Champion, alongside Cara Wall in the Junior final.

Westmeath's Terese Lonergan, Sarah Davitt and Ann Loftus qualified for Senior final, with Aoife Callum McKeague, and Lucy Tate are in the Junior final.

Olivia Nash is crowned as senior champion.

Olivia alongside Cara Wall, the Junior Champion.

Aoife Ruddock's father Michael also competed in the competition.

Aoife says she can't believe her name was picked for the final

As ever, music is never far away when you're at the Ploughing.

Here's the scene at the Celebrating Culture and Sport tent today:

Here's a meeting between one of the Ploughing's most popular guests, and Midlands 103's Will Faulkner.

The National Ploughing Association is confirming it will be revealing the 2027 venue this evening alongside the Ploughing results this evening at 6 pm.

The EU Agriculture Commissioner says member states need to get on the same page when it comes to their priorities.

Christophe Hansen is in County Offaly for the National Ploughing Championships today.

He says he’s facing issues with countries not providing enough money towards the Common Agricultural Policy, which is under negotiation.

He was asked if a 500 billion euro CAP budget is out of the question:

A 22% cut to next Common Agriculture Policy would be "devastating" to Irish farmers, according to the Minister for Agriculture.

Both Martin Heydon and the Eu Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen are at the National Ploughing Championships in Offaly today.

Minister Heydon believes the current proposal, which will see the CAP reduced by over a fifth, are opposed by all member state agri-ministers.

Commissioner Hansen says if the CAP is smaller, funding for farming can be found elsewhere:

Midlands MEP Ciaran Mullooly says the mercosur trade deal and CAP are the two biggest talking points for farmers this year:

The National Ploughing Championships may be leaving its Offaly site next year, but it will be staying in the Midlands.

The National Ploughing Association is confirming the move ahead of an official announcement of the 2027 venue later today.

Rumours suggest Rathangan may be the new site.

Over 250,000 people are expected to attend this year's event in Screggan in Tullamore.

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh has been telling Will Faulkner on Midlands Today she doesn't expect it will ever leave the region:

The  removal of US tariffs on Irish whiskey needs to move swiftly if it wants to positively impact producers.

That's according to Michael Clancy, one of the founders of Longford's Lough Ree Distillery, which has been promoting its product at the National Ploughing Championships.

US President Donald Trump made the move during his visit to the Irish Open in Doonbeg.

Mr Clancy says it will may help the business break into the American market:

Michael Clancy, one of the founders of Lough Ree Distillery.

Election for Women want to see more female representation at both local and national level.

Chair of the group, Aldagh McDonagh says they have an important message at the National Ploughing Championships this year:

The senior and vintage class ploughing contests have just kicked off, while the finals of the brown bread making competitions are also underway.

These people had early starts this morning to be first through the gates:

TJ Hegarty from Breakthrough Maths has a stand at the Ploughing for the first time.

He's been telling Midlands 103's Liam White how things have been going:

Talk Canada being brought into the EU as an associate member is being given short shrift by the Irish Farmers Association.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the possible move in her State of the Union speech yesterday.

While Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's due to address the European Parliament today.

IFA President, Ballinakill's Francie Gorman says with farmers here facing a funding cut, he has no interest in seeing new members in Europe:

Wellies are being donned for the final day of the National Ploughing Championships in County Offaly.

The future of Europe's common agriculture policy is likely to dominate discussions, as the EU's Agriculture Commissioner will be in attendance.

Proposed changes to CAP have been a key talking point here in Screggan, with farmers concerned about merging funding streams.

Macra President Josephine O’Neill believes the CAP budget should include some supports for the next generation;

There’s more politics at today’s event as polls will close at 6 o’clock this evening for the cow elections - and head of the Electoral Commission Art O Leary says the steaks are high:

Doors open at 9 o’clock this morning, with the ploughing itself getting underway for a final day at 10.30am.