Carlow: The first meeting of the group set up to implement the Food Harvest 2020 strategy will be held next week.

BEEF EXPO, a major International Show of all pedigree beef cattle breeds in Ireland will be held on October 10, at Cillin Hill Mart, Kilkenny.

DESPITE the economic recession, there will be a record 1,136 trade stands at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy, Co Kildare, in two weeks, it was revealed yesterday.

A DECISION by the Russian authorities to raise the age-limit above which slaughtered animals must be tested for BSE in respect of beef exports to the country from Ireland has been welcomed by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

A €12 MILLION mushroom growing plant which was opened near Monaghan Town yesterday will create 150 jobs.

THE Netherlands won the Meydan FEI Nations Cup at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show yesterday followed by Ireland in joint second place with the United States of America.

APPROVAL for an advance payment of the 2010 single farm payment has been sought from the European Commission by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith to help alleviate the financial plight of farmers.

MORE than 20 cows have been entered in the 27th Baileys Irish Champion Cow competition at Virginia Show in Co Cavan this Saturday.

THE reopening of the Moroccan market to Irish beef and live cattle and the Tunisian market to Irish sheep meat were announced yesterday by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen believes 4,000 jobs could be created over the next 10 years under ambitious plans for agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

DETAILS of innovation funding for small Irish companies in the food industry were announced yesterday by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

LIKE many good ideas, the creation of a new Strategic Food Research Alliance between University College Cork and Teagasc began to develop from a letter and a positive reply.

THE public debate being conducted by the European Commission on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy has been extended until this coming Friday by popular demand.

FARMERS in the North have imported cattle from Germany, which only weeks ago confirmed its first case of bluetongue this year.

THE new European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos will visit Ireland on July 12 and 13 at the invitation of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

A SUGGESTION by Ireland South MEP Alan Kelly that the debate on the Common Agricultural Policy was not getting the attention it deserved has been rejected by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

IT IS too early to discuss specific measures that may be included in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

AN initiative to draw up a long-term strategy for the agri-food, forestry and fisheries sectors has been launched in Dublin.

BORD Bia will host a major business and export development drive on behalf of the Irish food and drink industry in Croke Park tomorrow.

A SCHEME to provide some compensation for damage caused to potatoes and vegetables by last month’s severe frost was announced yesterday by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

THE Government must grasp the opportunity to create 2,000 jobs in fish and shellfish farming, the Irish Farmers Association has declared.

IT is important that markets function well and that unfair practices are prevented, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith said yesterday.

A NEW code of practice will be introduced on a voluntary basis within weeks to regulate the increasing concentration of power of the supermarket multiples. It will become statutory under new legislation to be moved by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan.

THE president of the Irish Farmers Association Padraig Walshe has strongly rejected suggestions from Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith that Ireland should examine alternatives to the historical basis used for calculating the single farm payment.

THE allocation of milk quota to a major research project aimed at developing profitable, expanding dairy farms has been approved by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

THE distribution of free cheese to help the less well-off in society was announced yesterday by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

A total of €85 million in agricultural payments has been brought forward by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith to ease the cash flow difficulties being experienced by farm families.

THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted a ban on the importation of Irish beef which has been in place for more than eight years.

A NEW €4 million state-of-the-art education building was officially opened at Kildalton College, Piltown, Co Kilkenny, yesterday by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

A MAJOR economic forum of Irish farming and food industry leaders will be held at the RDS in Dublin next month.

MACRA na Feirme has called on government departments to stop hiding behind European Union directives and extend the spreading dates for slurry and farmyard manure.

STEPS to ease cash-flow problems among farmers were announced as they planned to travel to the three-day national ploughing championships which start in Athy, Co Kildare, today.

THE period for the spreading of chemical fertilisers, which expired on Tuesday, has been extended until September 28.

THE Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) is seeking an urgent response from all groups involved in the agri-food sector in order to avoid what it fears will be a total disaster for farmers in 2009 due to the recent wet weather and other issues.

FARMERS have welcomed the relaxation of brucellosis testing controls announced by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

A DECISION by the Indonesian authorities to lift the ban on the importation of Irish beef, which has been in place since 2001, has been welcomed by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

A HIGH-powered delegation from the dairy industry will study the agri-food sector in Finland and Denmark over the next three days.

THE impact of Government cutbacks on the employment of agricultural graduates is one of the key items for discussion at the Agricultural Science Association (ASA) annual conference on September 11.

A PUBLIC consultation process on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2013 has been launched by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

FURTHER steps have been taken by the European Commission to help stabilise the difficult dairy markets.

THE export of Irish beef to Indonesia, which was worth almost €30 million when the market was closed nine years ago, could be resumed shortly.

THE world trade talks, which collapsed last year to the relief of the Irish farm and agri-food sectors, are unlikely to resume for some months and a conclusion to the negotiations that would cut agriculture subsidies and tariffs on industrial goods is not expected this year.

IMPACT claimed yesterday that plans by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to close its Tallaght district veterinary office within the next six weeks will hit services to farmers in Co Dublin and east Wicklow.

A NEW body which aims to improve overall animal health standards has been launched by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.