The Taoiseach, Simon Harris, heard directly today (Friday, May 10) about the “importance” of retaining Ireland’s nitrates derogation during a visit to the headquarters of Dairygold in Mitchelstown. Dairygold chair, Seán O’Brien, said the co-op underlined to the Taoiseach the significance of Ireland securing the derogation “at the current level beyond 2025”. The co-op chair said that Dairygold had been “encouraged” by the Taoiseach’s comments last month when he pledged to work and support farmers “so that, together, we retain Ireland’s nitrates derogation which is necessary for our agri-f ..read more

For the first quarter of this year (2024) (January to April), 974 new tractors were licensed for the first time, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This was down by 63 units when compared with the 2023 first quarter figure of 1037, which increased from 2022 with a figure of 933 for new tractors licensed. The data shows that 888 used (imported) tractors were licensed for the first time in the first quarter of this year. This is a decrease of 30 used tractors compared to the first quarter of last year that had a figure of 918 used (imported) tractors licensed for the fi ..read more

An estimated 20,000 landowners and people living in rural areas benefitted from upgrades to non public roads and lanes over the six years to the end of 2023, according to the Minister for Rural and Community Development. Minister Heather Humphreys said her department has allocated almost €170 million in funding under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) between 2017 and 2024. Minister Humphreys told the Dáil yesterday (Thursday, May 9) that this has been used to upgrade, up to the end of 2023, “over 4,000 non-public roads and lanes”. She added: “The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads a ..read more

Dairy farmer from Co. Offaly, Brian Tooher, has received a 90% success rate. Situated just a short distance from Birr, Brian presides over a vast dairy operation spanning 300ac, managed in conjunction with his brother John, where they care for approximately 250 milking cows. “I had a cow with a bad case of mastitis. We tried antibiotics and the infection kept coming back,” Brian said. It was the Flash Bolus from Ark Animal Care that proved to be the breakthrough. “I couldn’t believe it, the next day the infection had cleared up,” he added. Formulated as a supplementary animal feed, the Flash ..read more

With over 700,000 people in Ireland getting their water from private wells, it might be worth considering how heavy rain – and there’s been plenty of that this year – can impact on the safety of the water sourced from them. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), private wells should be tested at least once a year, but ideally should also be tested after periods of heavy rain, as contamination is likely to be high at that time. However, regular testing of well water is important as water can be contaminated at any time, and not just as a result of rain. According to the EPA, m ..read more

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has urged drivers to be aware of the potential danger of sun glare this weekend. The RSA has said that when there are no obvious dangers and the days are brighter, people often drop their guard. Glare from the sun can result in drivers being temporarily dazzled or blinded, therefore caution is advised. Met Éireann has announced that clear, sunny conditions and high temperatures are forecast over the coming weekend, so the RSA is advising drivers of the following: Reduce the risk from sun glare and of being dazzled by wearing sunglasses; Be aware of the dangers ..read more

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has branded last week’s beef price cuts as “deliberate, targeted and geographic”. The chair of the association’s livestock committee, Michael O’Connell claimed that the Irish beef market is now becoming “a rigged game”. “We note that the increased number of forward and beef cattle in certain marts this week and we also note that they were bought by factories or feedlots for either direct slaughter or short-term feeding,” he said. ICMSA O’Connell alleged that there is a “very calculated policy” of trying to control beef cattle numbers. He ..read more

Approximately 35% of the 2024 maincrop potato area has now been planted out, according to Wilson’s Country agronomist, Stuart Meredith. “This figure takes account of growers across the island of Ireland,” he told Agriland. Co. Armagh-based Wilson’s Country is supplying potatoes to retail and catering customers throughout Ireland. The business has a grower base, which meets this requirement. “It has been a very slow start to the maincrop planting season. The continuous rain of the past six months has meant that it is only now that ground conditions are coming into shape,” the agronomist contin ..read more

Fianna Fáil MEP, Billy Kelleher has said that ending the stigma around opening up about mental health challenges is a “key priority”. The Ireland South MEP was speaking at the Green Bales initiative launch in Ballindaggan, Co. Wexford where Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Wexford TD, James Browne was also in attendance.  Kelleher said that speaking about mental health challenges must be “normalised”, and that there are many services available to people who may be struggling. The MEP continued: “Taking the first step and talking to someone is the most important ste ..read more

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has captured and vaccinated 5,046 badgers against tuberculosis (TB) to date this year. In 2023, some 9,062 badgers were captured in vaccination areas by staff contracted by the department. These figures show a significant increase since the rollout of badger vaccination in 2019, when 1,937 animals were captured in vaccination areas. Badgers In addition to vaccination, badger culling continues to take place across areas where there is a high prevalence of TB at levels similar to those prior to the introduction of vaccination. On average ..read more