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Editorial Opinion and Comments

All the latest opinion and comments on the Irish agricultural industry from the Farmers Journal editorial team.

Opinion: is the Commission targeting part-time farmers?

Member

East-west solution needed for Irish beef and cheese in Brexit talks

Member

Dempsey at Large: missing the core point of farm transfer

Farmland as an asset class is intrinsically different from an office block in Ballsbridge. To lump them in together is bizarre.

By Matt Dempsey on 19 October 2017

Member

Colm McCarthy: Has Britain any cards left to play?

Politically it is quite unrealistic for the country exiting the club to expect the surviving members to change the rules of the game they play amongst themselves.

By Colm McCarthy on 18 October 2017

Member

Matt Dempsey's home farm: a hurricane and scam callers

On the cattle side, despite the care we take with the new weanlings, we still have occasional mortality at this time of the year – one died of either bloat or fog fever.

By Matt Dempsey on 22 October 2017

Member

Is the EU softening its tone towards the UK?

After the apparent stalemate in negotiations at yesterday's press briefing, an EU Council "leak" makes a conciliatory gesture to UK

By Phelim O'Neill on 13 October 2017

Member

Colm McCarthy: no surprises in the budget

The allocation of the capital budget will tell a lot about the economic credentials of this Government.

By Colm McCarthy on 12 October 2017

Member

Home Farm: dry weather a godsend

We have huge amounts of volunteer oats plants to which we have applied Roundup. The intention is to spread out the remaining straw with a hay bob and disc the field as uniformly as possible to plough.

By Matt Dempsey on 12 October 2017

Member

Dempsey at Large: where is our energy policy going?

Energy and biofuel provides a useful alternative income source for many thousands of farmers across Europe – here we as Irish farmers have lost out on both energy and biofuels.

By Matt Dempsey on 17 October 2017

Member

Trade deals, trade wars

There are ironies in the Bombardier dispute affecting Belfast workers at many levels, a chorus of kettles calling one another black.

By Colm McCarthy on 04 October 2017

Member

Home Farm: unfit for human consumption

A veterinary note accompanied the factory account saying that there was an odour from the carcase and he was unfit for human consumption and so, no payment would issue.

By Matt Dempsey on 05 October 2017

Member

Dempsey at Large: traceability – 70 days or for life?

It seems too politically incorrect to even enquire as to why Ireland should aspire to be a leader in combating climate change.

By Matt Dempsey on 05 October 2017

Member

Farmer Writes: GLAS will leave thousands more disappointed again

Co Sligo suckler farmer Trevor Boland believes the number of farmers still to get training before the 31 December deadline will lead to many being disappointed when GLAS payments are handed out.

By Trevor Boland on 26 September 2017

Member