Whispers in the corridors of Agriculture House suggest Bill Callanan, Pamela Byrne and Cathal O’Donoghue are the most likely contenders to replace the recently retired Dave Beehan as chief inspector. Of these, Bill is probably the most well-known to farmers as he was the man who implemented Nitrates.

Beehan retired back in July along with his deputy inspector, Dermot Ryan, after more than 40 years in the Department of Agriculture.