Meat Industry Ireland says there are “green shoots” in the beef market, and these should hopefully feed through in terms of positive price developments soon.

Farmers with fragmented holdings will be hit hardest by rising Irish Water charges next year, according to Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Rural Development chairman Tim Farrell, who predicts some bills will rise as much as 78%.

The average dairy farmer can expect to pay as much as €600 extra per annum for contractors, within ten years, after the Budget brought a 1.6% carbon tax increase in agri-diesel charges, which is expected to be repeated every year for the next ten years.

The organisation representing meat processors has confirmed that its members will drop legal threats against beef farmers after months of factory protests came to an end on Sunday.

All sides in the beef dispute have been invited to the table for talks this evening.

Talks aimed at resolving the impasse between farmers and beef producers were continuing late last night.

Beef Plan Movement delivers 13-point proposal as discussions on resolving price dispute get under way

A €100m fund for beef farmers experiencing difficulties as a result of Brexit has been dismissed as inadequate by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).

Mercosur (Southern Common Market) is the South American trade bloc. That’s Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela — although Venezuela is currently suspended.

Members of the Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers’ Association have led two days of price-related protests outside Kepak outside Kepak Athleague, Co Roscommon.

The €100 million Brexit package must be delivered as soon as possible and with no conditionality, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association has insisted.

Farmers and Government authorities are collectively pushing the EU Council to take time to fully analyse the implications for agri-food producers before ratifying any Mercosur deal.

Sheep farmers claimed yesterday heir livelihoods are under threat because of price cuts being imposed by processors.

ICSA is hosting a farmers meeting to discuss the TB situation in Monaghan, taking place in the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan, from 8pm on May 8.

Patrick Kent has stepped down from his role as ICSA president, having been named by Independents 4 Change South of Ireland MEP candidate Mick Wallace on his replacement list.

Offal worth up to €800m is exported annually by the meat industry, and farmers want a fair share of the returns.

The EU proposed yesterday to cut funding for the Common Agricultural Policy by 5%, but some in Brussels warned the new budget plan could cut farm income supports for 2021-27 by 8.5%, and rural development measures 17.5%.

Kerry County Council has taken another step towards the development of a cycling greenway on the Ring of Kerry that it hopes will become a major tourist attraction.

The decision by Eir to pull out of the procurement process for the rollout of rural broadband was described by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) as extremely concerning.

Britain’s poorest families will face the biggest food price hikes if Brexit happens without the UK reaching a withdrawal deal with the EU, a new report warns.

Beef and suckler farmers should be consulted before Ireland settles on a breeding strategy based upon the New Zealand model, says ICSA suckler chairman John Halley.

The budget will be a test of Finance Minister Pascal Donohoe, who now has complete control as a result of the two portfolios of finance and public expenditure being brought under his remit.

The High Court has dismissed an application by National Party co-founder James Reynolds to continue an injunction preventing the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association ( ICSA) from removing him from senior positions he had held with the organisation.

It’s a constant battle to get a fair share of the end price and the reality has always been that the greatest share of it goes to the processors and the retailers, writes ICSA president Patrick Kent.

The decision to overturn a ruling awarding a hillwalker €40,000 for injuries she sustained after she tripped and fell on a boardwalk on the Wicklow Way has been welcomed.

As farmers, it often feels that we have to fight for everything that other people take for granted, writes ICSA rural development chairman Seamus Sherlock.

There have been calls for government intervention over fears that a growing number of farms could come under threat of repossession due to the loans linked to them being bought by so-called vulture funds.

The minister for agriculture has pledged to seek more markets for Irish produce after it emerged that Irish beef will be sold to Egypt for the first time in almost 20 years.