# Your AI checklist for the Ploughing: 5 questions to ask at every stand *Published 2026-08-29 by FarmAI Ireland* Ask five questions at every AI or agri-tech stand at Screggan: who owns the data and can you take it with you, what it costs in year three, whether it has been proven on an Irish farm, what happens when the signal drops, and who fixes it. A good product has ready answers. A demo changes the subject. ## Why do the good and the bad look identical at a stand? The 95th National Ploughing Championships run Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September 2026 at Screggan, Tullamore. The National Ploughing Association's own 2026 lists carry 886 outdoor and 209 indoor exhibitor entries. A fair share of them will have something with "AI" on the banner. On a stand, every product works. The tablet is charged, the signal is strong, the data is clean, and the person talking to you knows the system inside out. None of those conditions hold in a wet yard in February. That is not a reason to avoid the technology. It is a reason to ask better questions. Our [preview of the AI and agri-tech at Screggan](/read/ploughing-2026-agritech-innovation-arena-preview) covers where to go. This is what to say when you get there. ## What are the five questions? ### 1. Who owns the data, and can I take it with me if I leave? This is the one most farmers skip and most regret. Ask it first, and ask for the answer in writing. You have more ground under you here than you might think. The EU Data Act, Regulation (EU) 2023/2854, has applied since 12 September 2025. It gives the user of a connected product the right to access the data that product generates, and to have it shared with a third party of their choosing on fair terms. Applied to a tractor, a collar or a parlour, that means the data your machine produces is meant to be reachable and portable. The industry's own EU Code of Conduct on agricultural data sharing names the farmer as the originator of the data. But that code is voluntary. Nothing enforces it. That is exactly why the question has to be asked out loud, at the stand, before money changes hands. What a good answer sounds like: a named export format, a stated process, and no hesitation. What a bad answer sounds like: "sure, you can always ring us." ### 2. What does this cost me in year three? Not the sticker price. The running cost, once the introductory offer is gone. Ask for the subscription, the licence, the correction service, the SIM, the replacement collars and the software support, each as a separate annual figure. The hardware is rarely the expensive part. Our [guide to farm machinery AI](/read/ai-farm-machinery-ireland) works through a real example: entry auto-steer starts under €2,000 installed, and then RTK correction on the Irish network ran from €590 a year for 60 hours up to €2,000 a year unlimited in August 2026. If the person cannot give you a year-three number, they are quoting you a first-year number. ### 3. Where is this working on an Irish farm, and can I ring that farmer? Not a trial farm in Denmark. Not a pilot. A working Irish farm, with a system size close to yours, and a phone number. Independent Irish validation matters because Irish conditions are the variable. Grass-based, outdoor, wet, fragmented. A system trained on housed herds in a dry climate can be entirely honest about its results and still be wrong for you. Two places on site can help you sense-check a claim. Teagasc has its "Science Supporting Farming" marquee and an outdoor exhibit, with advisors who have no product to sell you. Inside the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena, agrifoodTEF, the EU testing and experimentation facility for agri-food AI and robotics, is represented by Munster Technological University. Independent testing of agri-AI claims is literally their job. ### 4. What happens when the broadband or the signal drops? Ask what the product does with no connection for three days. Does it queue the data and catch up, or does it stop? This is not a hypothetical. Eurostat reported on 24 July 2026 that around 43% of EU farms have internet access, that roughly 18% use any form of precision farming, and about 11% use a farm management information system. Connectivity is the constraint under most of that gap. Follow it with the harder version: what happens if the company stops trading? If the software is entirely cloud-side and the company goes, the hardware in your yard may become an ornament. ### 5. Who fixes it, how fast, and where are they based? Get the support arrangement in plain terms. Is it a dealer in the county, a national service engineer, or an email address in another time zone? Then ask the calving-season version of the question. If it fails at 2am in February, what actually happens? A system that saves you an hour a day and costs you a night's sleep once a month has not saved you anything. ## What does the day itself cost? Adult tickets were €30 a day pre-booked for 2026, up €5 on 2025 after the association reported losses of €150,926. Children under 12 go free with a paying adult. Car parking is free, on stubble and grass, so bring boots regardless of the forecast. The trade exhibition opens at 9:00am. If you want the Innovation Arena, Tuesday is the day: the one-minute pitches run at 10:00am and the awards at 2:30pm, with a "Digitalisation in Agriculture" panel at 1:00pm on Wednesday. One practical correction worth knowing. The first return shuttle to Tullamore station leaves the site at 1:30pm according to the association's own 2026 timetable, not 2:40pm as some travel listings still show. ## Where can you get an independent answer on the day? Three stands sell you nothing: - **Teagasc**, in the science marquee and outdoors, for whether a system suits your enterprise. - **The Data Protection Commission**, which has a stand at Ploughing 2026. If a vendor's answer to question one was vague, walk over and ask what your rights actually are. - **agrifoodTEF via MTU**, inside the Innovation Arena, on how AI claims get tested. The Innovation Arena finalists had not been published when this was written. Four categories run in 2026, including a new Young Innovator of the Year. ## Frequently asked questions **Do I really have a right to my own farm machine data?** Under the EU Data Act, the user of a connected product has a right of access to the data it generates and can have it shared with a third party on fair, non-discriminatory terms. It has applied since 12 September 2025. Get the specifics of how a given vendor delivers that in writing rather than assuming it. **Is the industry code of conduct on farm data legally binding?** No. The EU Code of Conduct on agricultural data sharing sets out good practice and names the farmer as the originator of the data, but it is voluntary. Your protection comes from the contract you sign and from the Data Act, not from the code. **Are Irish farmers actually worried about this?** Yes. Teagasc-reported survey work found 40% of Irish farmers would share farm data in return for cheaper technology, while 44% said they needed more assurance first. The concerns named were not knowing where the data goes, no clarity on what it is used for, and a fear of it being used against them. ## The bottom line Walk the Arena with five questions and a notebook, not a wish list. The stands that answer all five are worth your evening; the rest are worth ten minutes and a business card. ::: official-advice-banner This guide is a starting point. For decisions about grants, animal health, or significant farm investments, always check with your Teagasc advisor or relevant authority. ::: --- ## Sources - [European Commission — Data Act](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/data-act) — Confirms Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 has applied since 12 September 2025 and gives users access to connected-product data - [Teagasc — Raising awareness of data on the farm (TResearch)](https://teagasc.ie/about/research-innovation/research-publications/tresearch-2022/tresearch-spring-2022/raising-awareness-of-data-on-the-farm/) — Irish survey figures on farmer willingness to share farm data and the assurances farmers say they need first - [Eurostat — Digitalisation in EU agriculture](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260724-1) — EU farm internet access and precision farming adoption rates, published 24 July 2026 - [CEMA — EU Code of Conduct on agricultural data sharing](https://www.cema-agri.org/publication/brochures/37-eu-code-of-conduct-on-agricultural-data-sharing) — The industry code naming the farmer as data originator, and confirming the code is voluntary - [National Ploughing Association](https://www.npa.ie/) — Official 2026 dates, venue, tickets and exhibitor lists --- *Source: [FarmAI Ireland](https://farmai.ie/read/ploughing-2026-ai-checklist-5-questions)*