Farming

THE Green Party has called on Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to commit to ending Direct Provision and to introduce a universal basic income in return for entering a coalition...

New bonuses agreed between farmers and processors at the Beef Taskforce last September boosted finishers returns by €13m between October and March, according to new figures from Bord Bia.

In a recent phone conversation Sean Conway and I discussed the four flock focus areas that Sean has prioritised this month to maximise lamb performance.

The ICMSA has rejected the Department of Agriculture's assertion that dairy expansion has played a role in a "marked increase" in national herd incidence for bovine TB.

We have only a few ewes left to lamb, so I should be done by the end of the week.

Like many others I am continuing to adjust to working from home. My normal weekly routine of visiting farms throughout Ireland and abroad has been replaced by remote communication.

In recent weeks, news of a shipment of cattle to Algeria brought hope to beef farmers who have seen prices fall to a 10-year low.

A few years ago a colleague of mine observed that the roads of west Limerick were a dangerous place to travel on a Sunday morning, as you were liable to...

Farmers and country councils are reporting a surge in illegal dumping as home renovations and clean-ups continue amid Covid-19 restrictions.

Factory quotes for sheep, be they spring lambs, hoggets or cull ewes, were back by between 10-20c/kg yesterday. "Normal service has been resumed," was the reaction from one sheep farmer...

Brid and Roger Fahy have been making ice-cream on their dairy farm for almost 15 years. After spending much of that time chasing big supermarkets, they have discovered that less...

When I started out dairy farming in 2009, 'resilience' was the buzz word in the sector - it was used in relation to developing a strong farm system that could...

Bord Bia's proposed Farm Sustainability Platform will add nothing to beef and tillage farmer incomes, farm organisations have claimed.

When I started out dairy farming in 2009, 'resilience' was the buzz word in the sector - it was used in relation to developing a strong farm system that could...

The average horsepower of a new self-propelled forage harvester (SPFH) is 580hp. These remarkably powerful machines are set to be spotted working flat out on Irish farms over the coming...

There is a big push on in the Department of Agriculture to map out a 10-year plan to prevent the agriculture sector becoming an environmental pariah.

The historical dominance of the Aussie and Dutch bloodlines in Irish dairy breeding has been almost completely replaced by home-bred dairy sires in less than a decade.

Eggs are being imported to meet demand because of a shortfall of 1.5 million eggs a day due to an outbreak of avian flu in Ireland.

Cereal farmers have called on Irish Distillers and Guinness Ireland to support local malting barley growers by opposing proposed cuts by Boortmalt to this year's malting barley contracts.

The historical dominance of the Aussie and Dutch bloodlines in Irish dairy breeding has been almost completely replaced by home-bred dairy sires in less than a decade.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been warned they will face "venomous" opposition in rural Ireland should they give in to Green Party demands that may lead to cuts to...

The year 2018 is still very fresh in most farmers' memories. We went from a fodder crisis to a drought, resulting in massive fodder and concentrate bills and the resultant...

A solicitor told a judge that he is well qualified to hear a contested 'infertile bull' case as he has "an understanding of the birds and bees and how cattle...

The year 2018 is still very fresh in most farmers' memories. We went from a fodder crisis to a drought, resulting in massive fodder and concentrate bills and the resultant...

An extensive residential holding of 148ac of mixed lands in the heart of east Clare is on the private treaty market with a guide price of €500,000.

Mart staff continue to make every effort to facilitate the matching of those with cattle to sell and those wishing to buy. Apart from trying to get deals closed, managers...

It looks like we're reaching the end game in the efforts to find a new Government.

Mart staff continue to make every effort to facilitate the matching of those with cattle to sell and those wishing to buy. Apart from trying to get deals closed, managers...

New proposals that would allow marts to operate more freely have been submitted for approval to the HSE.

In a recent phone conversation Sean Conway and I discussed the four flock focus areas that Sean has prioritised this month to maximise lamb performance.

With government formation talks underway, we find ourselves in a new world as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. As was the case in 2010, I believe agriculture will be...

As the continued lockdown forces us to adapt to a new reality, thoughts have turned to those things we miss the most.

Suircastle, a 158ac residential farm near Golden in south Tipperary, sold recently making in excess of €2.5m or almost €16,000/ac.

The sister of the late Ulster Rugby star Nevin Spence, who died along with his brother Graham and father Noel in a farm accident, has announced the birth of twin...

Two mink farms in the Netherlands have been put into quarantine after animals were found to be infected with the new coronavirus, the agriculture ministry said on Sunday, urging people...

German drugs and pesticides company Bayer said the economic downturn has prompted it to take a tougher stance in talks to settle claims its glyphosate-based weedkillers cause cancer, even as...

A couple have brought a legal challenge to permission for afforestation on what they say are extremely sensitive lands near special conservation areas adjoining their home near the Border in...

I'm in my local supermarket on Sunday morning, a shopping list in hand. We tend to be a red meat family; however, both chicken and fish also feature at least...

Before contagion, there was conjecture. A rumour, a whisper. The virus was someone else's problem, a plague visited on British farms. And then it was here. It was ours. Ruth...

Ireland's forestry industry is facing a serious crisis that could see the country's sawmills run out of wood by mid-June, a senior sector representative has told the Sunday Independent.