European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan has hardly unpacked from his move up three floors in the Berlaymont, but it looks like he could be on the move again, this time to Geneva as DG of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The WTO adjudicates on trade disputes among member nations, which is virtually every country in the world.
No doubt Hogan is well qualified, having been the most travelled Commissioner for Agriculture ever before moving to Trade last December. He has since been to China and the US, whose spat greatly undermined the WTO and is no doubt influencing the thinking of Brazilian Roberto Azevêdo, who is quitting his second term as WTO boss a year early.
However, Hogan will need to see off other interested parties. He will hope that being on first name terms with the key players in every continent will give him momentum.
If he makes it, the question then becomes who would be a suitable replacement commissioner, a decision for the new Irish Government.
Mairead McGuinness would be comfortable switching from being Parliament’s senior vice-president to the Commission, but she would have to get the nod from Dublin, at a time when Fine Gael clout is less than it was when Hogan got called up in 2014.
European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan addressing an EU Trade Amidst Global Uncertainty seminar in Dublin.
I see there is a court battle over the fancy names given to plant-based burgers.
The Financial Times reports that Nestlé has been forced to drop its named “Incredible Burger” and replace it with “Sensational Burger” in Europe.
That’s after the creators of the infamous Impossible Burger, Impossible Foods, took out an injunction against Nestlé for using the word incredible. Nestlé has said it intends to appeal the court injunction but will refrain from using the “Incredible Burger” name in Europe for now, to avoid fines of tens of thousands per day.
Nestlé has been forced to drop the name "Incredible Burger" and replace it with "Sensational Burger" in Europe.
All hail Ming the Trouserless
While many will be familiar with Flash Gordon’s iconic adversary Ming the Merciless, a new cult hero was born this week, Ming the Trouserless.
I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when a clip emerged of Irish MEP Luke Ming Flanagan addressing the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee in what appeared to be a shirt and little else, living out the nightmare of many remote workers. However, the Roscommon native took the incident in good jest and said he was wearing running shorts that were obscured by his shirt.
What viewers may have missed is Flanagan asking the European Budget Commissioner if the process of flattening farm payments could be sped up, an important issue for many Irish farmers.
The Dealer is reliably informed that there was no such instances on the IFA national council video call on Wednesday although there were clear signs that the hairdressers have been closed since mid March.
Embrace FARM annual service
Embrace FARM, the charity which supports families after the death or serious injury of a loved one in a farm accident, is to hold its annual remembrance service on 28 June.
The service is held to remember all those who have died in farm accidents across the 32 counties of Ireland. Sadly, nine people have passed away following incidents on Irish farms this year. Those who have a loved one they wish to be remembered at the service this year are asked to contact Embrace on 085-770 9966 or email info@embrace.com.
Hoping for a hosepipe ban
Lockdown life has been a busy period on The Dealer’s farm.
Every square inch of scrub has been fenced and miles of post and fencing creosoted, while walls we thought were naturally black have been whitewashed.
One job I’ve been putting on the long finger is powerwashing the slatted shed. But there might be a silver lining to the looming hosepipe ban. The Dealer might finally get a chance to down tools and light the BBQ.
Calf raffle in aid of Marymount
When its 80s night fundraiser was cancelled due to COVID-19, Cork Macra club Terelton had to think fast for ways to raise funds for Marymount Hospice.
The hospice serves a 600,00-strong community in Cork and Kerry. A virtual raffle was decided on and a local dairy farmer donated a Hereford calf to the cause.
The calf is due to be raffled live on Facebook this weekend and tickets can be bought for €10 from club members.
Check out Terelton Macra’s Facebook or GoFundMe page for more information.
Out of the mouths of babes ...
The Dealer overheard an interesting – and somewhat sad – conversation between two young lads last week.
The pair, five and six-year-old brothers, were chatting to each other in the company of their father.
Boy 1: “When we take over, we are going into cows.”
Boy 2: “Yes there’s no money in sucklers.”
Dad: “Who told you that?”
Boys: “You did!”
RTÉ is putting a call out for Ireland’s Fittest Families. Farmers have been well-represented in the past with the Cummins family, the McDonalds and the Beirne family from Mohill, Leitrim even claiming the title in 2017.
The Dealer might even be tempted to dig out his U16 jersey and work on shedding some pandemic pounds.
The online application form can be found at rte.ie/irelandsfittestfamily
European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan has hardly unpacked from his move up three floors in the Berlaymont, but it looks like he could be on the move again, this time to Geneva as DG of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The WTO adjudicates on trade disputes among member nations, which is virtually every country in the world.
No doubt Hogan is well qualified, having been the most travelled Commissioner for Agriculture ever before moving to Trade last December. He has since been to China and the US, whose spat greatly undermined the WTO and is no doubt influencing the thinking of Brazilian Roberto Azevêdo, who is quitting his second term as WTO boss a year early.
However, Hogan will need to see off other interested parties. He will hope that being on first name terms with the key players in every continent will give him momentum.
If he makes it, the question then becomes who would be a suitable replacement commissioner, a decision for the new Irish Government.
Mairead McGuinness would be comfortable switching from being Parliament’s senior vice-president to the Commission, but she would have to get the nod from Dublin, at a time when Fine Gael clout is less than it was when Hogan got called up in 2014.
European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan addressing an EU Trade Amidst Global Uncertainty seminar in Dublin.
I see there is a court battle over the fancy names given to plant-based burgers.
The Financial Times reports that Nestlé has been forced to drop its named “Incredible Burger” and replace it with “Sensational Burger” in Europe.
That’s after the creators of the infamous Impossible Burger, Impossible Foods, took out an injunction against Nestlé for using the word incredible. Nestlé has said it intends to appeal the court injunction but will refrain from using the “Incredible Burger” name in Europe for now, to avoid fines of tens of thousands per day.
Nestlé has been forced to drop the name "Incredible Burger" and replace it with "Sensational Burger" in Europe.
All hail Ming the Trouserless
While many will be familiar with Flash Gordon’s iconic adversary Ming the Merciless, a new cult hero was born this week, Ming the Trouserless.
I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when a clip emerged of Irish MEP Luke Ming Flanagan addressing the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee in what appeared to be a shirt and little else, living out the nightmare of many remote workers. However, the Roscommon native took the incident in good jest and said he was wearing running shorts that were obscured by his shirt.
What viewers may have missed is Flanagan asking the European Budget Commissioner if the process of flattening farm payments could be sped up, an important issue for many Irish farmers.
The Dealer is reliably informed that there was no such instances on the IFA national council video call on Wednesday although there were clear signs that the hairdressers have been closed since mid March.
Embrace FARM annual service
Embrace FARM, the charity which supports families after the death or serious injury of a loved one in a farm accident, is to hold its annual remembrance service on 28 June.
The service is held to remember all those who have died in farm accidents across the 32 counties of Ireland. Sadly, nine people have passed away following incidents on Irish farms this year. Those who have a loved one they wish to be remembered at the service this year are asked to contact Embrace on 085-770 9966 or email info@embrace.com.
Hoping for a hosepipe ban
Lockdown life has been a busy period on The Dealer’s farm.
Every square inch of scrub has been fenced and miles of post and fencing creosoted, while walls we thought were naturally black have been whitewashed.
One job I’ve been putting on the long finger is powerwashing the slatted shed. But there might be a silver lining to the looming hosepipe ban. The Dealer might finally get a chance to down tools and light the BBQ.
Calf raffle in aid of Marymount
When its 80s night fundraiser was cancelled due to COVID-19, Cork Macra club Terelton had to think fast for ways to raise funds for Marymount Hospice.
The hospice serves a 600,00-strong community in Cork and Kerry. A virtual raffle was decided on and a local dairy farmer donated a Hereford calf to the cause.
The calf is due to be raffled live on Facebook this weekend and tickets can be bought for €10 from club members.
Check out Terelton Macra’s Facebook or GoFundMe page for more information.
Out of the mouths of babes ...
The Dealer overheard an interesting – and somewhat sad – conversation between two young lads last week.
The pair, five and six-year-old brothers, were chatting to each other in the company of their father.
Boy 1: “When we take over, we are going into cows.”
Boy 2: “Yes there’s no money in sucklers.”
Dad: “Who told you that?”
Boys: “You did!”
RTÉ is putting a call out for Ireland’s Fittest Families. Farmers have been well-represented in the past with the Cummins family, the McDonalds and the Beirne family from Mohill, Leitrim even claiming the title in 2017.
The Dealer might even be tempted to dig out his U16 jersey and work on shedding some pandemic pounds.
The online application form can be found at rte.ie/irelandsfittestfamily
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