With some protesters continuing to defy court injunctions some processors sought to obtain attachment and committal orders that could lead to farmers involved in protest action being arrested.

The Government will make no decision on Phil Hogan’s future as EU agriculture commissioner for at least 10 days amid growing demands from farmers for him to be removed from office.

There are plans for a new 4 cent levy for every pig slaughtered or exported.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has allocated €1.5m to import fodder, as farmers strain to feed stock.

The interests of business and public health advocates should not be given equal weight in discussions around the final form of landmark legislation on alcohol, according to a charity working in the area.

New laws forcing shops and supermarkets to give farmers a fair price for their milk will be a hot topic at a conference organised by Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan in Brussels.

A report on maximising the potential of Ireland's agricultural land is being released this morning.

Farming organisations will appear before the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee later to give their views on the tax measures in the farming sector.

A European parliament committee has written to Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney seeking an explanation for why his department is continuing to ignore a critical ombudsman’s report.

With its origins in the frugal economy of post-war Germany, it’s little wonder that Aldi has become the destination store for hard-pressed Irish shoppers in search of a bargain. Kyran Fitzgerald looks at the building of a retail empire.

There were calls for a law exempting politicians from offences to be reviewed following an Irish Examiner investigation into the removal of penalty points from the driving records of TDs.

TDs are to launch a probe into how the horsemeat scare was allowed to threaten Ireland’s lucrative beef industry as they haul food company chiefs before them.

A FIANNA Fáil TD came under fire yesterday after he appeared to claim Dáil deputies could not get by on €100,000 a year.

GOVERNMENT reductions in betting tax have endangered the future of horse racing and breeding in Ireland, according to the body which oversees the industry’s development.

IRELAND needs to fight to keep control of how European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) grants to farmers are distributed, according to a report by the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee.

NEXT Sunday, a large family from the isolated Donegal peninsula of St John’s Point will gather for Mass to pray for the souls of Francis Byrne and his son Jimmy.

THE Ombudsman has said the move by Fianna Fáil members on the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee to favour party allegiance over the plight of a Donegal family has done damage to the citizens of the country.

DESPITE the best efforts of the Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, Fianna Fáil deputies yesterday drew a line under what has been a controversial and divisive issue.

FIANNA Fáil backbenchers are demanding further amendments to the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill following greyhound industry representatives warning that the bill, in its current form, will lead to the “destruction of a fine traditional Irish industry”.

AGRICULTURE Minister Brendan Smith has been told to shake up the board of the Irish National Stud by the chair of the Dáil’s spending watchdog, who said the company was run like “Fás on overdrive”.

FORMER junior minister Frank Fahey has been accused of assaulting a member of the Oireachtas agriculture committee to protect his reputation.

A FAMILY thrown into the middle of a political battle has welcomed signs the Government may back down and pay them compensation for rejecting their original claim under the Lost at Sea scheme.

TED WALSH has called on the government to bring the law pertaining to the administration of medication to horses, which he says “crucifies the racehorse man,” into line with other animals slaughtered for human consumption or risk pushing the industry underground.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has rejected the Ombudsman’s call to have the Lost at Sea report reopened.

AGRICULTURE officials will today have to account for their stance on a civil war among the breeders of traditional working horses which is threatening the survival prospects of an endangered species.

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.

THE Competition Authority has confirmed that retailers are pressuring suppliers – including the top Irish food firms – for better deals.

ONE in every eight jobs in the Irish economy is linked to farming and the food and drinks sector, it was stated yesterday.

An official report into the contamination of Irish pork products last December is due to be published today by the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee.

SERIOUS damage was done to Ireland’s “clean, green food island” reputation by contamination of pork products, said associate professor of public health at UCD, Dr Patrick Wall, during the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee inquiry into the food scare.

Junior Health Minister Mary Wallace says the Government's action in recalling pork and bacon products from shops during the recent contamination crisis has been vindicated.

The secretary general of the Department of Agriculture has insisted that the Government's decision to withdraw all Irish pork and bacon products late last year was the correct one.

FEARS were last night raised that leading pig farmers could benefit to the tune of €1 million each under the Government compensation package while ordinary workers are ignored.

The head of the Oireachtas farm committee has said he believes that traceability will be the key to preventing a re-occurrence of the pork crisis.

AN AGREEMENT between the National Roads Authority and the Irish Farmers Association that promised farmers would be paid promptly for any land purchased for road building needs to be reviewed.

DIRECT talks with EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson on the world trade negotiations are being sought by the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee.

Officials from the departments of Health and Agriculture will today brief TDs and Senators on the UK avian flu outbreak.

Vets should adopt hospital-style precautions to guard against passing the deadly MRSA super-bug to animals, it was claimed today.

The Irish Farmers Association is due to mount a protest outside the Dáil this afternoon to highlight its opposition to EU proposals on animal transport.