Farming - Agribusiness page - Irish Examiner

Sign in

Farming

Forecast

WEATHER

Grass

GRASS

FARMING - AGRIBUSINESS and TECH

A collection of the latest news, views and analysis from the farming desk on the topic of Agribusiness and technology.

<p>Tractor convoy as part of the IFA protest outside the Bord Bia Dublin offices. Photo: Finbarr O'Rourke</p>

farming

Macra calls for Heydon to intervene and protect Ireland’s food reputation

Macra says Ireland’s reputation as a trusted, high-quality food producer depends on unity, transparency and respect throughout the sector

<p>Farmers burn their Bord Bia paperwork outside the Dáil ahead of Larry Murrin going before the agricultural committee.</p>

farming

Farmers protest outside the Dáil as Bord Bia chair defends his position

<p>Fresh cows, and heifers in particular, are the most vulnerable and least competitive animals in the milking herd. They tend to avoid situations where they must compete for feed, water or cubicle space, and this avoidance reduces overall intake.</p>

farming

Brian Reidy: Why feed space, water, and cubicles matter for early lactation

Cows in a fresh grassy field on a clear day

farming

Kieran Coughlan: Cashflow pinch is on its way

Martin Heydon defends Bord Bia chairman from Sinn Féin's motion to dismiss

politics

Martin Heydon defends Bord Bia chairman from Sinn Féin's motion to dismiss

Rachel Martin: Bord Bia row is no longer about beef — it’s about who agri policy is for

farming

Rachel Martin: Bord Bia row is no longer about beef — it’s about who agri policy is for

Brian Reidy

Hazell Mullins, Vet on the Moove

Kieran Coughlan, Farm Finance

Paula Hynes, Hoofing It

Aerial View of Tractor, Preparing the Potato Field For The New Season

Clear communication one of the most important factors for farm workers

Resulting from the recent FRS Co-Op survey found that clear communication was one of the most important factors for farm workers.

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

man's hand holding the flower of an oilseed rape plant, spring time concept

New £2.5m oilseed rape project launched in the UK

A new three-year project will combine gene technology and on-farm trials to bring forward precision-bred oilseed rape resistant to the likes of light leaf spot to farms

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Euro banknote currency finance background

Are you taking advantage of the supports available to your farm?

While farmers have limited influence over the introduction of regulations, they have control over the advisory supports and incentives they choose to engage with, advises Siobhán Kavanagh

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Burren farm blending tradition and a modern vision has plans to develop

Burren farm blending tradition and a modern vision has plans to develop

Featuring in the CAP Network's 'Women in Agriculture' booklet, Carina Roseingrave, alongside her brother, has expanded their farm to a mixed enterprise.

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Holstein Dairy Cow

Bird flu antibodies detected in cow in the Netherlands

Following the death of a cat on a farm in the Netherlands, a dairy cow was found to have bird flu antibodies in her milk, indicating a previous infection of the disease

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Fertilizer terminal

Fertiliser supply risks mount as EU import rules face scrutiny

Price uncertainty has reduced fertiliser imports, with many blaming EU delays in agreeing how the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism operates

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Protests continue at Bord Bia over chairman's Brazilian beef imports

Protests continue at Bord Bia over chairman's Brazilian beef imports

Protests have escalated in Dublin as farmers gain access and occupy the Bord Bia HQ in Dublin.

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Fluffy Woolly Sheep

Further factory cuts deepen pressure on hogget prices

Waning confidence in the sector has been further undermined by another reduction of 10c/kg for hoggets at processing plants

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Agri Aware’s farm Walk & Talk returns with additional dates

Agri Aware’s farm Walk & Talk returns with additional dates

Agri Aware have announced extra dates to their Walk & Talk series, hosting secondary school students studying agricultural science on farms over the coming weeks

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Close up shot of raw meat hanging on hooks at a slaughterhouse

Limited extras offered as beef processors maintain price control

There is no indication tighter supplies relative to previous years’ intake, or ongoing producer demands for higher returns, are likely to have any major influence on prices in the short term

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

The harvester working in a forest.

Ireland's €2bn forestry industry is in fear of the bark beetle

The small insect that has killed hundreds of millions of trees across Europe over the past decade can be blown by the wind

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Teagasc hosts ‘Meat Matters’ food innovation event

Teagasc hosts ‘Meat Matters’ food innovation event

Industry leaders recently attended the Teagasc 'Meat Matters' event as part of the Food Innovation Gateways initiative to explore innovation and opportunities for fresh meat

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

New 'Rye Growers’ Guide' launched at tillage conference

New 'Rye Growers’ Guide' launched at tillage conference

Teagasc officially launched its newest 'Rye Grower's Guide' at the 2026 National Tillage Conference, providing detailed science-based information for farmers

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Cork's Munster Bovine becomes latest patron of Agri Aware

Cork's Munster Bovine becomes latest patron of Agri Aware

Artificial insemination and herd management firm Munster Bovine is the latest Agri Aware patron, joining 55 other patrons of the agri-food educational body

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Herding the Sheep

Celebrating women driving progress across Irish agriculture

Tickets now available for the third annual International Women's Day lunch hosted by Macra and the Agricultural Science Association

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin has Heydon’s 'full confidence' after Brazilian beef import

Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin has Heydon’s 'full confidence' after Brazilian beef import

Farming organisations have called for Mr Murrin's resignation following the revelation his company Dawn Foods had imported and utilised Brazilian beef

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

Rachel Martin: Standards must come top down

Rachel Martin: Standards must come top down

I used to think it would be a bad job to be caught in a supermarket with a trolley full of produce that didn’t align with what I wrote about for a living.

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Hereford cattle

China suspends beef exports from Ireland following bluetongue outbreak

Under the protocol governing the beef trade between Ireland and China, the Irish Government is required to notify the authorities in China of an outbreak of certain notifiable diseases, including bluetongue

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Dairy farm cows indoor in the shed

No boost for dairy in EU-India deal

High Indian tariffs on cheese, milk powders and dairy-based nutritional products remain unchanged, while there has been no movement on sanitary, technical or product approval requirements

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Domesticated bantam chickens seen in a large, rural garden during springtime.

Ireland now officially free from bird flu

The World Organisation for Animal Health has published Ireland's self-declaration of HPAI-free status

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Rishi Sunak Delivers Speech To The National Farmers Union Annual Conference

What the UK wants to learn from Irish farming institutions

Former NFU president Minette Batters' 154-page review with 57 recommendations for a 'New Deal for Profitable Farming' references the vital roles of Teagasc and Bord Bia

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

workplace food industry - factory butchery for the production of sausages - butcher cuts meat

More 'life' in cattle trade, but processors remain cautious

Suppliers are reporting there is an extra 5–10c/kg being paid for both categories in deals with processors to secure more stock, writes Martin Ryan

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Sheep pen

Sheep trade under strain as factories reduce hogget prices

Prices have been reduced by 10–20c/kg, to the grave disappointment of suppliers, writes Martin Ryan

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

EU funding shake-up puts flagship Irish nature projects at risk

EU funding shake-up puts flagship Irish nature projects at risk

Since 1992, Ireland has secured more than 100 LIFE projects, with total investment exceeding €200m

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Baby calves in a barn

DairyBeef 500 conference to focus on calf sourcing, better genetics and health

The Teagasc DairyBeef Conference plans to outline important areas of dairy calf to beef production with presentations and a panel discussion.

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Farming

Newsletter

Keep up-to-date with all the latest developments in Farming with our weekly newsletter.

Farming Crossword

Play Today

PLAY THE WEEKLY FARMING CROSSWORD

The interactive version of the crossword that appears in Thursday’s Farming supplement. No cheating.

Kieran Coughlan

Kieran Coughlan

Farm Finance