It was a good week for…

  • Irish butter, as US Department of Agriculture figures show that Irish butter exports to the US accounted for 77% of all butter imports in July.
  • A number of Irish research projects, including a project which aims to develop tools and resources to improve the environmental footprint of livestock, as €5.4m in funding was allocated to them.
  • Cattle farmers in Northern Ireland, as it was revealed the number of calves born in 2018 and testing positive for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is down 27% when compared with the previous year.
  • Brendan Gleeson at the Department of Agriculture, who was appointed to the role of secretary general at the Department.

    • It was a bad week for…

  • Sheep farmers, as sheep tagging changes continue to cause confusion with farmers questioning how the level of compensation received will be calculated.
  • Cattle farmers, as the latest European Commission report said there will be downward pressure on beef prices due to higher beef imports into the EU.
  • Young farmers in Northern Ireland, as the Young Farmers’ Payment (YFP) rate has continued to decline as more new entrants join the scheme.
  • Farmers looking to buy feed, as in certain parts of the country they will face aADVERTISEMENT