A Fermanagh farmer took over a Twitter account this week to give people around the country and further afield a view as to what life was like in this in this part of the island.

John Egerton, from Rosslea, took control of the @IrelandsFarmers account and gave people an insight into him and his family’s life.

The week long sojourn on the account for John gave him the chance to interact with people from all walks of life and give them an insight into his farming life here in Fermanagh.

Sceptical at first, John was eventually persuaded into doing it by Noel Clancy who runs the @IrelandsFarmers account. But in the end he was glad he did get involved.

“I’m on Twitter and I was a follower of @Ireland Farmers and the fella that runs it, Noel Clancy, he messaged me and asked me would I take it on for a week and I was reluctant at the start but he talked me into it,” explained John.

“But I enjoyed it. It was busy at times, busy on the farm here and my phone bleeping all the time with interactions from people.”

John gave followers a look into his world as well as tweeting about the various aspects of his farming life from his cows and sheep to his work as an AI technician.

“It was all fairly positive. I put one up about people’s eating habits and when they last got a got a good piece of beef or lamb and I was surprised that many people were enjoying lamb.

“I thought lamb was only a luxury item so I was surprised at the amount of people who were getting good lamb from farm shops and enjoying it.”

One of his earliest tweets and one that gained a lot of attention related to Brexit and the Border.

In the tweet John said he how Brexit was very real for him and his family and how he had been back and forth across the Border 12 times as part of his work as an AI technician, and it wasn’t even 8am!

It showed the reality he faces with his job travelling back and forth across the Border to different farms.

Although some of the comments did not appeal to John he said the tweet showed the difficulty a hard Border could create for himself and others.

“We are there on the Border and if there is any change on the Border we will be the first to notice it. Whatever it is we have to deal with it.

“The biggest case if there was a hard Border would be getting from one farm to the next would it be worth my while doing it. Maybe you wouldn’t be allowed to scoot back and forth across the Border.

“I think they are all playing hardball at the minute. Nobody wants the hard Border and nobody has the manpower to police it. You just feel like banging their heads together sometimes.”

But all in all the experience was a rewarding one for John and his family, and he would encourage any farmers in Fermanagh if they get the opportunity to take it.

“It’s a super thing to do. I thought I wouldn’t have had time but I made time and I have a lot of followers now that I wouldn’t have and a lot of people who have been very encouraging with their remarks.”