Regarded as the Republic of Ireland’s premier seed wholesaler, as well as leading the way in crop production, Germinal was shortlisted in two categories at the 2016 National Agribusiness Awards, gaining recognition in both the Crops and Merchant sections. We met General Manager Dermot Campion to find out more about this exceptional operation.
Situated at the Horse and Jockey in County Tipperary, Germinal – formerly Germinal Seeds – is the market leader in grass seed sales in Ireland. The company, which is part of the global Germinal Group, deservedly received national recognition in mid-November when shortlisted on the double at the prestigious Agribusiness of the Year awards.
Dermot Campion, who has been part of the Germinal team since 2001, and General Manager since last July, attended the awards bash in the Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin on Thursday, November 17th, where the cream of Ireland’s agri businesses were represented.
“We were delighted to have been shortlisted in two categories and it is a good reflection of the effort put in by all the team here in Germinal. When you are nominated for a national award, it’s recognition that you are doing a good job”.
Germinal started in 1983 and has since evolved and grown through many stages of development, their present site undergoing extensive development, including the installation of seed storage and processing facilities. This investment, coupled with Germinal’s involvement in grass and clover breeding at the Welsh based Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) – has given them the capacity to develop into market leaders – not alone in terms of market share, but also service, knowledge, research and innovation.
A people-based company, Germinal generate employment for a team of 26 and have concentrated their efforts on attracting the best people into the business. Dr Mary McEvoy joined the team in 2014 and has been instrumental in the development of Germinal’s technical expertise. All technical sales staff are qualified to at least graduate level and all staff are trained on an ongoing basis, including the requirements of IASIS and the Seed Sampling Regulations.
Germinal are proud to be part of the Germinal Group, a family-owned and -operated business. Direct descendants of the founder are still actively involved in the business today, based in the group’s Belfast site. With sister companies operating in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and New Zealand, the Germinal Group is now the largest forage and amenity seed business in Great Britain and Ireland.
Germinal’s turnover has grown significantly and now accounts for the largest turnover of all the companies within the Germinal Group. Turnover in the region of 12 – 14 million per year derives predominantly from dealings with larger coops and merchants including Glanbia, Dairygold, Kerry Co-Op, Aurivo, Connolly’s RED MILLS, Grennans, Quinns and McDonnell Bros.
In the late 1980s, Germinal made the decision to get involved in plant breeding in order to have more control of their future. The resulting long term strategic partnership with IBERS allows them to produce market leading varieties of grass and clover to benefit Irish farmers and Irish agriculture. The IBERS grass breeding programme has the advantage of running alongside world leading plant and animal science work which, along with representation of varieties from Germinal’s wide network of overseas contacts, has placed them in a unique position in the Irish market.
As a relatively young company in Ireland, Germinal have invigorated the Irish seed industry. “For too long grass and forage crops were seen as minor details in the overall picture of animal production,” Dermot reflects. “Grass has traditionally not been viewed as a crop, but is in fact the most efficient crop a farmer can grow from a productivity and efficiency perspective. Germinal has been instrumental in changing this message and farmers are getting rewards from what they can produce from home grown forage.
“The company’s research and development of new varieties, overseas connections and partnerships, development of the Germinal brand, focus on excellent service, ‘can do’ attitude and connection with the farmer through open days, farm walks and shows – allied to a very strong product range – contribute to their strong position as a leading seed producer. In addition to their grass and forage crops business, Germinal also bring higher-yielding and quality Irish grain to the animal feed industry.
Germinal are always striving to bring new varieties of forage to the market, having introduced Maris Kestrel kale, Stego and Greenland forage rape and the hybrid rape / kale ‘Redstart’. All of these have helped the Irish farmer ease the pressure of winter feed and housing and contributed to the growth of Germinal, who have also been working closely with all customers to introduce new varieties of cereals, e.g. JB Diego, which is now the go-to variety for winter wheat growers.
Germinal’s long-standing successful involvement in agribusiness is backed up by independent research through collaboration with organisations such as Teagasc. They feel that education of the end user is vital and are involved in raising awareness of practical methods to help farmers maximise profit opportunities through regular farm walks and demonstrations, all of which has contributed to brand awareness and business growth.
Teagasc recently released their Pasture Profit Index (PPI), a monetary ranking of grass varieties, and Germinal varieties take up 7 of the top 10 places on that list, including the top varieties in each category – late diploid (AberChoice), late tetraploid (AberGain), intermediate diploid (AberMagic) and intermediate tetraploid (Dunluce).
As the market leader in grass seed sales, Germinal have been forced to increase production. To this end, they have purchased three robots to help on their production lines. They have completely streamlined production efficiency, and bagged seed can be delivered anywhere in Ireland the next day.
Germinal continually strive to improve in all areas of business operations and are always looking for new innovations – whether in R&D, processing, fulfilment, customer relationships or product development.
Germinal are also investing in sustainable intensification through plant breeding, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and aligning profitability with environmental care and farmer education. As a member of the Irish Seed Trade Association (ISTA), they are committed to producing seed to the very highest standards. All Germinal seed is fully traceable and Germinal can provide a guarantee to a grower that each bag of seed is true to identity, high in purity and germination capacity.
Looking to the future, General Manager Dermot Campion is confident that Ireland’s most innovative and productive wholesaler of grass, seeds and forage crop seeds can continue to grow: “On average, less than 3% of grassland in Ireland that’s available to be reseeded is actually being reseeded each year,” he concludes. “Some farmers are reseeding up to 10-15% of their land, but the challenge is to get the average up.
“2016 was a tough year for Irish dairy, beef and cereal farmers but if they are going to increase their efficiencies and profits and compete with world markets – specifically New Zealand – the cheapest way to do it is on grass.”
Germinal,
Horse & Jockey,
Thurles,
County Tipperary.
Tel: 0504 41100
Fax: 0504 41109
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 1, January/February 2017
