Who wants to be an MEP? - A Munster farmer's take on the elections

It is a breath of fresh air to see the country finally greening up properly... it's just a pity that the view will be masked by every available telegraph pole being plastered in corry board signs, writes dairy farmer Paula Hynes.

It is a breath of fresh air to see the country finally greening up properly... it's just a pity that the view will be masked by every available telegraph pole being plastered in corry board signs, writes dairy farmer Paula Hynes.

Election fever seems to be clashing with silage fever as the sun finally came out and temperatures have climbed giving rise to a surge in growth. 

It is a breath of fresh air to see the country finally greening up properly. It is just a pity that the view will be masked by every available telegraph pole plastered with corry board signs as the new season of Who Wants To Be An MEP looms.

Election candidates have already been coming into overdrive on social media, many it would seem would turn up to the opening of a wheelie bin if they thought it was a photo opportunity and a chance to shake a few hands with voters. No doubt the agricultural shows over the next few weeks will be awash with hopefuls. 

As a farmer, I won’t be fooled that easily, as the agricultural community has had a rough ride in the EU over the last few years.

Candidates are promising to change the world, deliver for all of us and the old die hards trying to remind us of all their great achievements representing us in Europe. 

I would much rather a candidate with a bit of honesty that would hold the hand up and admit Irish MEPs have failed farmers across Europe and especially here in Ireland with the nitrates reduction. 

I’m not trying to sound negative, and I am certainly not anti-EU as I believe we are stronger together as a continent, but Ireland needs a much stronger voice in the EU parliament and Brussels needs a good kick up the backside. 

Every other continent in the world is prioritizing food security while tackling climate change, while the EU aspires to be one big nature park, hopeful that it can get its claws into Ukranian food production once they are welcomed into the EU.

I am for them becoming a member, but there is one big roadblock, and that is the very fact that the Common Agricultural Policy budget is not big enough to include Ukrainian farmers.

The ballot paper I will be handed is still wide open as to where my preferences will lie, so should any hopeful candidates want to interrupt my valuable time over the next few weeks, consider what I want as a farmer. 

Can you guarantee no further reductions to the nitrates derogation, continued access for live exports to mainland Europe, greater emphasis on food security within the EU, an increased effort in addressing climate change without impacting farmers' incomes, and if, as a candidate, you are not willing to work, as hard as farmers do, to ensure you deliver on those issues, then there's no need to stop me for a handshake and photo. If I wanted selfies with a tourist, I would have grabbed a few while I was in Paris!

With all that said, I sincerely do hope we send out our best team to represent us in the EU Parliament, as with some fine-tuning, the EU could become great again. 

It is a land of opportunity, where neighbouring countries can work together and people can move freely, a continent where standards are higher and culture is envied by tourists.

Back on the farm, our own little candidates are getting excited for their ventures out to shows. There is a daily routine now of walking heifers with some taking to the halter like they have been doing it before they were born.

It is honestly like washing kids before bed when it's bath day for the heifers; some just want to play and are bouncing with joy when they go back to bed, while other heifers just look at me as if to say, just get on with it mom if you must. 

With warmer days, the spring-born show heifers have now been clipped, and the show cows are settled in their routine.

Breeding season is at its peak now, with our AI tech calling twice daily. It has become really simple with the Datamars collars, which are working a treat, and we can view all the heats on the phone app, knowing exactly what time each cow has come on heat and deciding whether we will serve her am or pm. 

We are using predominantly beef semen. All surplus heifer calves have now been sold, and any retained heifer calves have been weaned off milk and eating 2kg–3kg of an 18% nut daily with ad-lib access to straw. We will increase the nuts to 4kg in time. 

We served the maiden heifers earlier this year, and the weather was absolutely against getting any sort of decent conception rates, especially for fixed-time AI combined with sexed semen.

I have heard of some very poor conception rates on heifers this year, so we decided to scan all of ours and see where we stood; thankfully, over 65% held to first service, with over 75% now in calf to AI and the remaining empty heifers have been PGd and separated so we will AI them as soon as they are on heat. 

Thankfully, our junior champion from Expo is confirmed in calf along with Georgie's Unix heifer, which won at the National Dairy Show. Some exciting calves due for next year, so the main focus now will be to grow those heifers on well over the summer and help them develop into nice cows.