It was a good week for…

  • Macra members, as they elected Thomas Duffy to lead their new presidential team.
  • Farmers in Donegal, as a new veterinary practice has received a certificate of suitability from the Veterinary Council of Ireland.
  • The Irish Suffolk Sheep Society, which was formed in February, as it launched its new website.
  • Irish forestry, as €830,000 has been awarded to various groups to help promote initiatives that support tree planting and encourage sustainable forestry management.
  • Cork farmers, as they will receive a hike in payments for recreational use of their land.

    • It was a bad week for…

  • Pig farmers, as a crisis meeting hears that they are still waiting for price rises that they say are badly needed.
  • Pedigree breeders, as the RDS livestock award prize funds have been cut to half their original size without notice to breed societies.
  • Dairygold, as its profits dipped - but it was due to milk price supports for its suppliers.
  • The electronic identification (EID) tagging scheme, which came in for strong criticism from the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).
  • Weed lickers, as they will require a test and inspection from next year onwards.

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