My deep throat in Tipperary was on the blower this week to inform me the planned new Teagasc dairy beef demo farm continues to search for a sponsor from the dairy side of the house.

Seemingly, some of the representative dairy organisations kicked the idea to touch.

However, I did hear a beef processor has signed up to help out the Teagasc lads to pay the bills for leasing a south Tipp farm in horsey country.

The Teagasc lads must be wondering how the west Cork Co-op’s Shinagh Farm got €2m from Science Foundation Ireland to count carbon and they can’t gather a few euro to count a few calves.

The big AI companies – Munster, Progressive, Dovea and Eurogene, alongside the genotyping and sexing companies – Weatherbys, Sexing Technologies, etc, look set to gain even further from the proposed new CAP schemes released late last week.

The proposals look set to subsidise farmers for the extra cost of sexing, genotyping and the use of high-quality beef AI.

The move will be a welcome shot in the arm for new Munster Bovine boss Doreen Corridan.

While I’m on that, contrary to widespread speculation, I hear the senior ICBF staff members mentioned here previously didn’t throw their hats in the ring for the high-profile Teagasc roles or indeed the Munster Bovine CEO position.

ICBF chair Michael Doran will be happy to hear that and he’ll be even happier to see the ICBF influence in the CAP plans.