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Martin Heydon described becoming the Minister for Agriculture as the "dream job" for a Kildare farmer-come-politician. But how has his first year in office been?
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Four confirmed bluetongue outbreaks in Co Down have prompted Minister Heydon to permit farmers use bluetongue vaccines on cattle and sheep in 2026.
The new enhanced powers aim to improve transparency in the food supply chain.
The Minister also confirmed that compensation will be available to farmers who have to cull cattle in the event of an outbreak of bluetongue in Ireland.
If on inspection there is some doubt that fencing is a newly installed investment in ACRES, farmers will be asked for supporting receipts, the minister said.
The Minister gave the meeting an update on plant protection regulations and new genomic techniques at the Food Vision Tillage meeting.
Welcoming the derogation extension, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said the Habitats Directive needs to be re-looked at.
Many people can share in the plaudits for retaining the nitrates derogation, but the work to improve water quality must be intensified even further now.
Irish dairy’s green advantage across the globe Our success in export markets depends not only on finding new buyers, but on protecting the strong and hard-fought position we occupy on the global stage.
