Measures are needed to avoid a worldwide Covid-19 slump in agriculture and food production, such as already exists in the fishing industry.

McDonald’s closure here and in Britain could be devestate farmers

Public demand for canned rather than fresh fish during the Covid-19 crisis and restrictions on Irish seafood exports are contributing to a looming storm in the fishing sector, an Irish industry leader has warned.

Ministers travelling abroad as part of scaled back St Patrick’s Day visits this year have been banned from flying first class, hiring limousines, or using hotel suites.

A small number of bellwether constituencies could be highly significant in the battle for top spot between Fiann Fáil and Fine Gael, says Political Correspondent Juno McEnroe.

The resilience and dedication to sustainability and world class quality of Irish food producers was acknowledged last week by Agriculture Minister Michael Creed.

Farmers say retailers’ contribution to yesterday’s meeting of the Beef Taskforce only raised further questions around the 30-month age limit on cattle.

The Minister acknowledged the difficulties in 2019 for the beef sector.

Double-jobbing former Fine Gael TD Dara Murphy has broken his silence on criticism from Fine Gael over claiming expenses in the Dáil while also working in Brussels.

Law reform to allow former TDs be investigated after controversy

A “ragbag coalition” combining Fianna Fáil, Labour, the Social Democrats, Independents, or others will not offer the country stability, agriculture minister Michael Creed has warned.

Ireland has dodged some restrictive new EU TB testing rules, but may not be able to avoid new compulsory testing around many of the country’s 2.2 million or so annual cattle movements.

It will be mid-2020 at least before farmers have details on continuation of the many EU schemes they benefit from, as one of the worst ever EU decision logjams shows no sign of breaking.

That the Madrid climate talks ended with an inconclusive agreement and a decision to ask countries to be more ambitious in cutting greenhouse gas emissions to realise the 2015 Paris accord shows we have, to use David Axelrod’s all-too-apt phrase, passed the swimsuit stage of international negotiations on climate change.

A woman caught with €800 worth of cannabis in her car told gardaí the drugs were for transmission to Cork Prison.

This evening, as some delegates at the Madrid climate conference stroll along Puerta del Sol, someone somewhere will be crouched over a keyboard assuring the world that climate collapse is a swizz.

The DPP appealed the leniency of a fully suspended jail term being given to a garda in Cork on corruption charges but the Court of Appeal decided yesterday that it would not alter the two-year sentence.

Minister Creed conceded that a Fianna Fáil victory is all but a certainty today.

The lifting of the injunctions against two people who had been protesting at the C&D pet food factory in Co Longford will, hopefully, allow commonsense to prevail in the ongoing beef prices dispute. Most importantly, it now gives an opportunity for the beef market taskforce, which was established in September, to convene without the threat of either further legal action by processors or more blockades by farmers. We have had more than enough of both.

Latest: Fine Gael councillor Padraig Brady, who is subject to an injunction by C&D Foods, has acknowledged that a complaint was lodged with the Garda Pulse system about threats to the management of the company.

Angry farmers have this evening said they will not end their protest until they secure a meeting with Agriculture Minister Michael Creed.

Minister Creed said the sector will play its part in the transition to a low carbon, climate resilient economy and society of the future, while also taking advantage of the opportunities this challenge presents.

Stephen Cadogan The incoming Polish Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, has highlighted Irish live exports as being questionable from an animal welfare perspective, arguing that the transport times by sea were too long.