Contaminated waterways due to what has been described as an “agricultural related” incident between Kiltimagh and Balla is affecting around 500 people, according to group water scheme manager, James Reape. The incident happened last Wednesday evening (April 10) between 7:00-9:00p.m, contaminating Derryvohey water supply. The water system was subsequently shut down shortly after, due to health and safety concerns, according to Reape. Reape said that the issue has affected 126 homes and that it “is not a quick fix”. He said the issue is “ongoing”, but that authorities are “doing everything poss ..read more

Fertiliser use in 2024 will exceed last year, but farmers will be buying supplies more often and in smaller quantities, according to Liam Woulfe. The managing director of Grassland Agro said that there had been “an absolute collapse in volumes” of fertiliser sold between January and March 2024, which is quarter two (Q2) of the fertiliser season. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) fertiliser database previously showed that sales of nitrogen (N) fertiliser in Q1 2024 (October 1 to December 31, 2023) were down 83% compared to the same period the previous year. Woulfe told ..read more

Lakeland Dairies is on the look out for potential new acquisitions in the UK, Europe and the United States “to buy value to support the milk price”. That’s according to the co-op’s group chief executive officer (CEO) Colin Kelly. He told Agriland that future acquisitions will revolve around “the core of who we are and what we are”. “We’re a dairy business that produces very high quality products on the back of the very high quality milk that is produced by our 3,200 farms. “We won’t be buying coffee shops in New York. “We will be very much staying within the space that we are in – we want t ..read more

Now in its 12th year, Emerald Expo returns to the Virginia Show Centre in Co. Cavan on Saturday, April 27. This all-dairy breeds cattle show is the very first show of the year in Ireland with a substantial prize fund on offer. The Emerald Expo main sponsor is FBD Insurance, with supporting sponsorship from the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).   The prize schedule includes seven championships. A new introduction to the show this year, is an individual championship for Red and White Holstein Friesian animals. The Eme ..read more

There is now less than a month to the deadline for farmers to submit applications to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to transfer entitlements. The Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme payment is based on the number of hectares farmed and the number and value of payment entitlements held. Farmers receive an allocation of payment entitlements for their farm under BISS which replaced the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A farmer must declare at least 1ha of eligible farmland for each payment entitlement to quali ..read more

Cork-based seed supplier, John Howard of Sunnyside Farm has come up with a new pre-mixed seed mixture for the Winter Bird Food option of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). He has a four-way pre-mixed seed composition made up of the exact ratios of the department’s recommended varieties. Three varieties are the normal recommendations for this scheme, but because John has seen at first-hand the different soils and conditions across the country, experience has taught him that with a fourth variety, there is a far better chance of the plot establishing. Triticale is used as the ce ..read more

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a recall notice for specific batches of Magnum Almond Ice Cream due to the potential presence of plastic and metal pieces. The product is the Magnum Almond ice cream; pack size: 3x100ml multipack. The country of origin is the United Kingdom and the batch is best consumed before the end of December 2025. The FSAI warned in a statement: “The above batches of Magnum Almond Ice Cream 3x100ml multipack are being recalled due to the possible presence of plastic and metal pieces.” The FSAI added that retailers are requested to remove the “impl ..read more

The Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection has been told that payments from farm schemes under Pillar II of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should be “disregarded in their totality” from the means assessment for the Farm Assist payment. The committee held a meeting today (Wednesday, April 17) on the Farm Assist payment, particularly on the issue of low uptake of the payment among farmers. The committee heard from delegations from four farm organisations, namely the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA); the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA); the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farm ..read more

Dairygold has today (Wednesday, April 17), announced its milk price for March supplies and a 2.0c/L weather/fodder relief payment, including VAT. The processor will pay 40.0c/L based on standard constituents of 3.3% protein and 3.6% butterfat, inclusive of sustainability and quality bonuses and VAT, for milk supplied in March. In addition, the March Early Calving Bonus of 1.0c/L, excluding VAT, will be paid on milk supplied in March, in accordance with milk quality criteria, Dairygold said. The attainable milk price for March is therefore 43.0c/L, including VAT, at standard constituents, incl ..read more

Farmers in Co. Down received €115.9 million in milk payments – topping Lakeland Dairies’ milk payments league table for 2023. Latest financial results published today by the co-op show that it paid out nearly €800 million to farm families in 17 counties, north and south. Lakeland Dairies processed two billion litres of milk collected from 3,200 farmers last year – thanks to 78,000 milk haulier runs. Dairy farmers in Co. Down might have been top of the payments league table for 2023 but they were closely followed by Lakeland Dairies’ farmers in Co. Tyrone who received a total of €110.1 million ..read more