Farmers are more bleary-eyed than most this week, as the arrival of the year’s 2.5m calves gathered pace, and the results of a history-making general election emerged.

The dairy beef production incentive which ICMSA has called for would be a rare item of good news in the beef sector, if Agriculture Minister Michael Creed were to go along with it.

The next meeting of the beef taskforce will take place on Monday, January 9, with Irish and UK retailers invited to participate to discuss market trends and requirements, specifically bonus criteria currently applied to Irish beef cattle prices.

Stephen Cadogan The incoming Polish Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, has highlighted Irish live exports as being questionable from an animal welfare perspective, arguing that the transport times by sea were too long.

Stephen Cadogan Political agreement has been reached in Germany to end use of glyphosate by December 31, 2023. It represents something of a U-turn compared to Germany’s decisive 2017 vote in favour which made possible the EU’s extension of approval of glyphosate use to December 15, 2022.

Processors have seen that protesters won’t listen to the established farmer organisations, and may feel that closure or recourse to the law are the only ways to proceed

Stephen Cadogan The “fantastic co-operation” from the farming community in development of roads has been acknowledged by Michael Nolan, chief executive of Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

Stephen Cadogan Sheep farmers are gaining from an early taste of a possible Brexit halt to the annual cross-border imports of nearly 500,000 sheep from the North.

Stephen Cadogan The 36th European Ploughing Championships will take place in Springpark, Ballinaboola, Co Wexford on Saturday and Sunday, March 30 and 31.

The EU is the biggest trading partner for UK agriculture. Nearly two thirds of UK agricultural exports are to the EU, with 70% of agricultural imports from the EU, writes Stephen Cadogan

Stephen Cadogan The Department of Agriculture’s quality service unit received 30 customer service complaints in 2018.

Townlands eligible up to now for areas of natural constraints (ANC) payments will remain eligible in the new scheme next year in about 98% of cases, said Agriculture Minister Michael Creed yesterday.

Declan McEvoy, head of tax at the ifac professional services firm, has warned that the current draft of the Finance Bill contains some very costly provisions for young farmers.

Researchers have called for urgent EU action, after finding cocktails of pesticide residues in more than 80% of agricultural soils in 11 member states.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, has said the Brexit loan scheme launched last March is working, and people are applying for the funding.

The rate for direct work carried out by farmers themselves will increase from €12.40 per hour to €13.50 per hour, an increase of €1.10, writes Stephen Cadogan

Farmers recycled the equivalent of half a million car tyres over the last month, through a €700,000 government-funded initiative.

The enormity of the challenge taken on by EU agriculture and rural development commissioner Phil Hogan, to help farmers and others by ending unfair trading practices (UTPs) in the EU is becoming clear.

Attendance estimated at over 4,500 at Millstreet showcase of Ireland’s pedigree dairy breeding and trade exhibition

Study coincides with UN climate report calling for rapid and far-reaching transitions

A survey by Skibbereen and Bandon Credit Union of more than 200 women in agriculture in West Cork shows 61% saying financial pressure is the biggest stress factor in running a farm.

The old reliables in the budget used to be tobacco and drink, so-called because taxes were added on every year.

The pressure is on for Irish farmers and dairy farmers in particular to help achieve good quality status in waters by 2021, or by 2027 at the latest.

Farmers getting a lesser pension payment due to their PRSI contributions being interrupted during periods in receipt of farm assist may have been treated unfairly, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, said last week.

Droughts are more common in France, and one of the solutions they have come up with is a mobile water tank with an internet-connected sensor.

One of the key measures the beef industry and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed could carry out now is to spell out the possible consequences of Brexit for beef farmers.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring has described as ‘amazing’ the €19 million spent on administration of the Leader rural development programme, while development project expenditure only amounts to €6 million.

Ornua is celebrating success after winning 14 awards (3 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze for cheese and 1 bronze award for salted butter) at the Global Cheese Awards in Frome, Somerset.

Teagasc’s new courses on Crop Nutrition Management are to commence in October.

All 36 Local Action Groups (LAGs) in the 2007-2013 LEADER rural development programme were requested to reimburse some of the monies they received in the €340 million programme, because of administration cost claims being deemed ineligible.

Dairymaster’s international success continues with a silver medal award for innovation by the DLG (German Agricultural Society).

The number of suckler cows fell 3.1% to 1,047,900 in the year to last June, according to the Central Statistics Office’s crops and livestock survey provisional estimates.

High agriculture standards have boosted Ireland’s scores in the EU’s latest monitoring of progress towards sustainable development.

The Citizens Information service has joined with Teagasc to publish a Supports for Farmers booklet, an up-to-date overview of available entitlements and services.

Glanbia and Dairygold’s green barley and wheat price is €205, about 40% higher than the 2017 prices.

Irish agriculture scores well in the EU for most measures of sustainable production, an advantage for which everyone involved deserves congratulations.

Six finalist teams also met Chinese officials on knowledge transfer visit at Certified Irish Angus exhibition centre at Ploughing, writes Stephen Cadogan.

Perhaps the most significant finding when 524 farmers were asked what kind of farming they will be doing in 2025 was that none anticipated being in forestry.

Irish dairy co-ops are making the most of what could be the last year of an accessible UK market on the doorstep.

Increased livestock deaths in the past 18 months on their farms were revealed by quarter of those who took part in the Irish Examiner/ICMSA opinion poll.

The Climate Change Advisory Council will spend the next six months considering the economic effects on agriculture of measures needed to move the sector onto a sustainable path of dealing with climate change challenges.

The results of this year’s Irish Examiner/ICMSA opinion poll may point to a farming sector punch-drunk after the toughest winter-spring weather most of them have endured, followed by an unprecedented summer drought, with Brexit approaching like a rapidly changing tropical superstorm, writes Stephen Cadogan.