This is a subscriber-only article
1. The number of bureaucrats will be dramatically reduced in the Cross Compliance section of the Department of Agriculture.
A redundancy scheme will open in February, with staff redeployed to Farm Relief Services across the country, to help dairy farmers during calving season.
2. Mid-season lambing flocks will get a boost in March when Teagasc begin sending out free multi-sward seed mixes.
Research has shown these can improve lamb thrive and reduce worm burdens, but Irish farmers weren’t convinced until Teagasc validated the results.
3. Agri-processors and retailers ‘fess up in July, as a heatwave hits Ireland and barbecues are turned up to 11.
They were just taking the Michael all along and will now pass on premium prices to farmers.
4. Vegans announce a carefully thought out framework that will allow sustainable levels of soya bean production to supply the world’s protein needs.
The document is lost from someone’s backpack however during a rainstorm at Electric Picnic in August.
5. The Indian summer experienced in October convinces the IFA to denounce targets for reducing greenhouse gases as not being ambitious enough.
They claim the higher the targets set by Brussels, the warmer the weather must be getting.
6. The slurry spreading deadline is extended until 8 December to allow men sneak out the last bit of slurry while the women sneak off to Dublin for their traditional Christmas shopping day.
7. Pigs are seen taking off and landing around the nativity scene at Dublin’s Mansion House when EU Agricultural Commissioner signs off on upper limits for CAP payments just in time for Christmas.
I speak in jest of course. The above is more a personal wish-list than anything else (apart from the flying pigs bit).
Instead, I’d have just one real wish for 2018 and that’s for more honesty in all public discourse.
The major issue facing Irish agriculture for the next decade is squaring the circle of climate change: we simply can’t keep expanding while using smoke and mirrors to reduce emissions.
We all have our entrenched positions but that does not give us the right to be anything less than 100% honest when debating how to proceed.
Let 2018 be the year when figures are not cherry-picked from reports written by pet authors, and the rest of the agri-industry stops pretending it’s only farmers who have to take responsibility for climate change.
Kieran Sullivan and his brother farm part-time in Co Waterford. You can follow him on Twitter: @kieran_sullivan
SHARING OPTIONS: