Beef market heats up

In this week's lead story, Phelim O'Neilll writes that tight supplies, a weak euro and a surge in grass have combined to make for strong cattle markets. Beef prices have risen across the board, with strong demand for finished and store cattle. To read how many cattle were killed last week and how much steers are making now, click here.

Southern processors gain Northern Ireland milk

James Campbell writes that due to the deregulation of milk marketing in Northern Ireland, around 30 producers have left United Dairy Farmers in the north to go to milk processors in the Republic. To find out how many of these producers have gone to which processor in the Republic, click here.

Roscommon man elected 35th Macra president

This week Seán Finan was elected as the 35th president of Macra na Feirme. A Roscommon man from Ballinlough in Castelrea, Finan is one of the founding members of his club, Castlerea Macra. He is also a beef farmer and a construction project manager with Sisk. To find out what his priorities are for his term in office, click here.

Chinese buyers eye Ireland as a dairy source

Jian Lu, a major Chinese buyer with Want Want group, has told the Irish Farmers Journal that his group is considering Ireland as a source of ingredients as part of his company's strategy to reduce dependence on New Zealand. To read why Jian believes Ireland and China are a "perfect match", click here.

TTIP: The story so far

With the latest report on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) carried out by Copenhagen Economics suggesting that the value of Irish beef output could contract by as much as €50m if the deal goes ahead, Phelim O'Neill examines the origins of TTIP and asks what it will mean for Irish farmers here.