Changes in Farming, Co. Mayo, Ireland 1965

The story of Tom Ruane, born in 1889 near Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, who has lived his whole life on the same farm holding. Originally a four acre holding, Tom now owns twenty-four acres.

This programme looks at the changes that have taken place in farming during the life of Tom Ruane. From a time when the landlord ruled the roost, to the present day when the land is predominantly owned by the farmer. Factory farming is a new facet that has come with the mechanisation of agriculture. This has lead to new challenges for the traditional farmer in terms of production and economics. The programme visits an egg factory farm, where mechanisation has taken over and machines perform tests of quality control on the eggs. Producers claim that factory eggs have a better and more uniform flavour.