It was a good week for

  • Young and small farmers, as CAP reforms will seek to frontload payments and create a fund for young farmers under pillar I.
  • Silage contractors, as a spell of good weather has seen harvesting begin in earnest.
  • Tillage farmers, as grain prices begin to gain ground and have risen by close to €10/t.
  • Cattle exporters, as live exports are 20% ahead of where they were this time last year.
  • It was a bad week for

  • Sheep farmers, as factories have drastically reduced quotes by a massive 60c/kg to 80c/kg, to €5.80/kg to €6/kg for lambs.
  • New Zealand dairy farmers, as the government has announced a cull of as many as 150,000 cattle in a bid to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis.
  • Traditional stone walls, as plans to upgrade the N67 between Kinvara and Ballindereen look set to come at the cost of the removal its drystone walls.
  • Marts, as insurance costs continue to soar.