EU farmers opposed this week’s EU move to raise an offer on beef imports to 99,000 tonnes at low import tax rates, in trade talks with the Mercosur trade bloc.

More focus must be put on measures to help farmers better manage risks under the Common Agricultural Policy.

The flying of drones was banned in the air space over the site of the national ploughing championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois, last September.

Beekeepers and environmentalists globally are increasingly concerned about the threat posed to honey bees and other important pollinators by insecticides.

Drones can play a critical role in helping farmers with limited resources to produce more food to feed a growing world, a conference in the Netherlands was told.

The relationship between the European Union and Russia will be discussed at the annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in 10 days time.

The approvals process for the widely used but controversial herbicide glyphosate has hit another stumbling block en route to its possible re-authorisation in June.

The EU proposal to offer South American countries a quota for 78,000 tonnes of beef sales in the EU was opposed this week by agriculture ministers from 20 EU member states.

President Michael D Higgins is to join with over 200 Irish industry and public sector leaders to mark the UN International Year of Co-operatives at a national conference in Croke Park on Tuesday, May 15.

THE Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS) has awarded the Plunkett Award for Co-operative Endeavour to its former president Donie Cashman for his exceptional contribution to Irish agriculture.

FAVOURABLE economic growth trends, and high-crop yields in the next harvest season, are needed to avoid a return to a global food crisis, said the head of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation this week.

A STRONG Common Agricultural Policy is needed in the future to strengthen the economic role that farmers play in providing food and services to 500 million EU consumers.

THE important economic role farmers play in providing food and services to society has been highlighted by Copa-Cogeca, which represents European farmers and agri co-ops.

EUROPEAN farm and co-op leaders have urged the new Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, to maintain Common Agricultural Policy direct aid payments to in a bid to safeguard a viable and competitive EU agriculture sector.

FARMERS across Europe are being suffocated by rock-bottom farm prices and high production costs, COPA-COGECA has warned.

AN initiative by the Swedish presidency of the European Union to set up a special farm council meeting on October 5 to discuss the dairy crisis was welcomed yesterday.

COPA and Cogeca stressed yesterday that agriculture can play a vital role in tackling climate change, but sufficient funds must be made available to help it do so.

A TOTAL of 15 European Union member states, including Ireland, have called for major improvements in support for hard-pressed dairy farmers.

SUGGESTIONS from French and German ministers that milk quotas should be managed at individual producer level on a compulsory basis in every member state was described as totally unacceptable yesterday by the Irish Farmers Association.

A FOUNDER of the Irish Co-operative Movement will be honoured at his birthplace in Churchtown, Co Cork, on Saturday.

EU shop prices for milk jumped 17% from mid-2007 to mid-2008, and have fallen back only 2% since – even though the milk price paid to farmers has halved.

THOUSANDS of farmers from across Europe, including Ireland, will protest about low milk prices outside a meeting of farm ministers in Luxembourg today.

EUROPEAN agriculture will feel the full force of climate change, Farm Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has warned.

THE European Union was warned yesterday that an unfolding crisis in agriculture across member states could result in escalating protests.

IRISH co-op leaders have been warned of dire consequences for farmers and the dairy processing sector if decisive action is not taken to consolidate and strengthen the industry.

THE bodies representing European farmers and agri-co-operatives have claimed that the breakdown of the world trade negotiations were caused by a lack of attention paid to national food security concerns.

THE late Billy Nagle, a native of Buttevant, Co Cork, who died last week, was a champion of the co-operative movement and a leading figure in Irish agri-business.

EUROPEAN farm leaders yesterday welcomed proposals by Brussels to simplify overly bureaucratic aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), especially in areas of cross-compliance and administration of entitlements, but they stressed that stability must remain the priority.

THE European Commission must support pig farmers while the market finds a new balance, COPA and COGECA, the European umbrella bodies for farmers and co-ops, have declared.