So, St Valentine’s Day has come and gone and not even a post-it note from the Department of Agriculture around nitrates banding. Readers will know that 14 February was the date that all dairy farmers were to have their milk yield data sent back to the Department.

They were told it would be a seamless process, assisted by the data buffs in ICBF.

We were also told that if farmers didn’t send in their data by then, they would be classed as being in the top band. Since then, not so much as a dicky-bird by the Department.

Is banding going to be in place at all this year?