I hear Longford dairy farmer Mike Magan is to step down from his role as chair of Animal Health Ireland (AHI).

I also hear Clare dairy farmer and former Dairygold chair James Lynch is to succeed him.

Set up in 2009, AHI comes in for its fair share of criticism mainly due to an over-ambitious target set initially for BVD eradication.

However, Magan has never shirked his responsibilities and was always available to The Dealer to fight his side.

Ironically, national BVD-free status is probably the stand-out delivery for AHI to date and I’m reliably informed the Department will be applying for this by the end of the year.

I hear that the Teagasc Authority called out Magan for his dedication to the cause this week.