Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has said that farmers who applied for the ‘General’ approach of the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) tranche 2 are now receiving their approval letters. Earlier this month, the minister announced that 2,300 farmers who had applied for the ‘co-operation project’ (CP) approach under tranche 2 of the scheme would be getting their approval letters. Now, the minister has said that the remaining eligible applicants (out of 9,000 farmers who applied to the tranche) would be getting their approval letters. Commenting on th ..read more

Pottinger released its Harvest Assist app in March of last year with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the harvest operation through better utilisation of the machinery, especially the transport portion. Over the last year, it has been developing the software. For the 2024 season, three new features have been added to further increase its utility and flexibility. The number of bales produced in each field can now be recorded The first advancement is that a baler operator can now enter the number of bales deposited in each field. The drivers of the loaders and bale collection vehicles ca ..read more

Ireland’s farmer-owned dairy and grain cooperative, Tirlán, and its employees has chosen Aware as its new charity partner. Tirlán’s network of 2,300 employees will fundraise for the mental health charity. The cooperative will also make a corporate donation to support Aware’s work in communities nationwide. Aware is an organisation that supports people impacted by depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and related mood conditions. Last year, Aware supported up to 40,000 people via its support and education services. In 2023, Tirlán and its employees raised €116,000 for worthy causes and created ..read more

Over 6,500 nitrates derogation applications have been received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) ahead of the deadline at midnight tonight (Friday, April 26), the DAFM has confirmed. The deadline for applications for the nitrates derogation 2024 has previously been extended by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue due to challenging weather conditions. The DAFM reminded those who applied for a nitrates derogation last year that 2023 fertiliser accounts must also be uploaded by today, regardless of whether an application for the derogatio ..read more

The art of round baling took a massive leap forward with the unveiling of the Kverneland FastBale – a revolutionary non-stop round baler wrapper combination that cleverly integrates a pre-chamber with a main chamber and a wrapper. Product manager at Kverneland Group Ireland, John Doyle, anticipates that the FastBale will be a game changer this summer, especially with shorter windows for contractors. Doyle said: “As we face increasingly narrow timeframes for crucial farming tasks, such as baling, the FastBale’s non-stop operation and efficiency will prove invaluable. “I believe this summer wil ..read more

Dairy co-op Tirlán intends to concentrate on a series of milk supplier open days in September this year and will not have an exhibit at the National Ploughing Championships. The co-op said that the milk supplier open days will provide its members with an opportunity to tour Tirlán’s Ballyragget processing facility in Co Kilkenny.  As a result the co-op does not plan to have an exhibit at the Ploughing Championships which will take place Ratheniska, Co. Laois from September 17 to 19 for the third year in a row. According to Tirlán it has “enjoyed a long-standing presence” at the ..read more

Censortec CowControl is a collar-based activity monitoring system that gives dairy farmers heat alerts, health alerts, and custom management reports to improve their herd’s fertility and production. Dick and Eoghan O’Neill, who are based in Ballymacoda, installed Censortec CowControl seven years ago. According to Dick: “Cow numbers had gone up to 260, and we felt there just had to be an easier way to manage our heat detection. Dick and Eoin O’Neill showing their placement student, Nicholas, the benefits of CowControl “We were watching the cows, and tail painting, and someone had to go and wat ..read more

Farm & Home Store, the retail arm of Kerry Agribusiness, has been a trusted provider of essential farm inputs and associated requisites to the farming community for over four decades. Now, with the advent of its online platform, the company is excited to extend its quality service to a broader audience. The business has proudly been offering an extensive array of gardening supplies, hardware, household items, pet essentials, as well as clothing and footwear. Launched in June 2022, the website aims to cater to a national audience. With its user-friendly interface, customers can swiftly na ..read more

A candidate for the Ireland Midlands–North-West constituency in the European Parliament elections in June has said that he would look to “expand on the front-loading system” if successfully elected as an MEP. James Reynolds, the leader of the National Party, said that he wanted to see the expansion of front loading achieved as part of an overall increase to the CAP budget. Front loading refers to the system of increasing payment rates under CAP Pillar I (direct supports) for a certain number of hectares, with payment rates falling back to a standard figure on hectares above that, thus providi ..read more

Almost €2.5 million has been paid to farmers as part of the hay meadow measure in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) 2023. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue provided the information as part of a response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD, Martin Kenny. The TD requested information about how many hectares of land farmers applied for under the measure and how much was paid out. The minister stated that the actions in ACRES which may be considered as “the hay meadow measure” are low input grassland (LIG) and low input peat gra ..read more