THE European Union has come up with a plan to reduce paperwork for cattle farmers — but it may not get a welcome everywhere.

AGRI-FOOD groups are divided as to the pros and cons of an EU move to introduce full electronic identification (EID) for sheep.

A man jailed for extortion after the unravelling of a conspiracy by Clare woman Sharon “Lying Eyes” Collins to have her wealthy partner and his two sons killed, has had his extradition hearing adjourned for over a month.

A former Las Vegas poker dealer lost his appeal today against the severity of a six-year jail term handed down to him for demanding money with menace.

THE IFA has disclosed that Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith has reaffirmed his decision to ring-fence €18 million in unused Common Agricultural Policy funds for the sheep sector and that it will be paid out in 2010.

THE proposed electronic tagging of sheep will inflict serious economic and unnecessary damage on the industry in Ireland, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) warned yesterday.

The Court of Criminal appeal has fixed a date in March of next year for the hearing of Clare woman Sharon Collins' appeal against her conviction for soliciting an Egyptian poker dealer to kill her partner and his two sons.

THE European Commission is taking note of Ireland’s concerns on proposed moves to introduce a system of electronic identification in sheep.

THE Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSFA) has strongly objected to the introduction of electronic sheep-tagging.

A mother-of-two who hired a hitman on-line to kill her wealthy partner and his sons was today jailed for six years at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

A mother of two convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her wealthy partner and his sons will be sentenced tomorrow.

A mother-of-two convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her wealthy partner and his two sons will be sentenced next month, a court ruled today.

COMPULSORY electronic tagging for sheep has been described as “a non runner” by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) at a meeting of the European Parliament agriculture committee in Brussels.

THE jury in the hitman for hire murder conspiracy trial spent a second night in a hotel last night after they failed to reach a verdict after almost five-and-a-half hours of deliberation yesterday.

A FORMER Las Vegas poker dealer accused of conspiring with a Clare woman to murder her partner and his two sons is a “patsy” the prosecution is using to secure the conviction of his co-accused, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.

A CLARE woman accused of hiring a hitman to kill her partner and his two sons told gardaí she obtained a passport with her partner’s surname as a “gesture” to him a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.

A WOMAN accused of hiring a hitman to kill her partner and his two sons wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions asking him to drop the case against her for the good of her family, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.

A Sydney traffic controller sued his former employer for unfair dismissal today claiming he was sacked by mobile phone text message.