THE role of agricultural shows has been praised by Government ministers north and south, Brendan Smith and Michelle Gildernew.

A judicial challenge has been launched after Sinn Féin took the Fermanagh and South Tyrone Westminster seat by four votes, a courts spokeswoman confirmed today.

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

David Cameron’s electoral project in the North was under renewed pressure tonight after the Conservative Party failed to come good on a pledge to run in every constituency in the region.

THE agriculture ministers from the south and the North have agreed an All-Island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy.

Politicians in the North have met with representatives from Quinn Insurance group today to discuss the future of operations at the insurance company.

SHEEP electronic identification and the progress being made north and south on legislation in the areas of animal health and welfare were discussed at the latest North/South ministerial council in Dublin.

MICHELLE GILDERNEW has praised farmers’ resilience and initiative in livestock and bloodstock breeding despite economic downturn.

THE ultimate aim of an all-island animal health and welfare strategy now being developed will be the free movement of animals on the island of Ireland.

CATTLE and sheep importers in the North have been urged not to put their farms and the industry in jeopardy by importing livestock from bluetongue affected areas.

SOME farmers spent almost two days outside government offices across Northern Ireland to apply for farm modernisation scheme grants

The North's farming industry needs to press ahead with efforts to develop renewable energy, the Agriculture Minister said today.

Agriculture Minister in the North Michelle Gildernew was today heading for a showdown with her UK counterpart and EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson.

A CULL of cows and calves on the north Antrim farm where bluetongue was confirmed in a single imported animal was ordered yesterday by the North’s Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew.

ALL cattle and sheep recently imported from the North are being traced and tested for bluetongue after it was confirmed a dairy cow shipped to an Antrim farm from the Netherlands tested positive for the disease.

Major quota cuts proposed for the North's fishermen have been averted although the number of days they can spend on the Irish Sea has been reduced, the British government announced today.

None of the livestock consignments brought into the North since the movement ban from the UK was lifted are infected with foot-and-mouth disease, the North’s Agriculture Minister said tonight.

Disinfectant measures at ports and airports in the North to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease have ended, it emerged today.

A fire which swept through Sinn Féin offices in Co Fermanagh is being treated as suspicious, police confirmed today.

European Union officials may give the North special regional status to export beef and other goods following its response to the Surrey foot-and-mouth outbreak, it emerged today.

The North's Agriculture Minister for Agriculture, Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew, has said today that there is no need for restrictions on moving animals across the border.

An urgent all-island approach to stop foot-and-mouth disease from entering Ireland today swung into action.

The North's power-sharing executive will today hold a special Cabinet meeting to consider their response to the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey, England.

Fermanagh South Tyrone was tonight shaping up to be a dull election story - until one of the candidates got arrested in connection with an attempted murder.

The cross-community Alliance Party will today call for public funds spent on segregating society in the North to be diverted to projects that benefit both communities.

Sinn Féin is being forced into u-turn after u-turn because of the insatiable demands of Ian Paisley, a former party member said tonight.

The latest member of Northern Secretary Peter Hain’s ministerial team will today make his debut in the North as its Agriculture Minister.

The Rev Ian Paisley was accused today of acting irresponsibly after he launched a withering attack on former US president Bill Clinton

THE onward march of Sinn Féin has slowed to a stroll. That is a clear conclusion which can be drawn from the results of the Westminster elections held in Northern Ireland this day last week.

FORMER US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary met Northern Ireland politicians yesterday in Belfast, urging them to work for lasting devolution at talks next month.

Sinn Féin go to Britain's House of Lords today to fight a British government decision to deny its MPs thousands of pounds because they refuse to take their seats in the British Parliament.

Northern Ireland’s chief constable was plunged into a new row today over his refusal to recommend slashing troop levels while the IRA remains ready for war.

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair has been challenged to prove his commitment to political progress in the North by setting a date for Assembly elections.

The British and Irish governments were urged today to standardise public holidays in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew turned down an offer from Northern Ireland’s new chief constable Hugh Orde to brief her on a loyalist death threat, he claimed today.

Unionists should apologise for years of discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland, it was claimed today.

Sinn Fein’s first woman MP for 83 years has given birth to her first child, it was announced today.

Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew has won the right to remain on as MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone.

Ulster Unionists seeking to oust a Sinn Fein MP over alleged polling station intimidation were today hearing if they have won their legal fight.

Sinn Fein has accused UUP leader David Trimble of deliberately trying to wreck the peace process to pursue his own anti-Good Friday Agreement agenda.

The Ulster Unionist Party has accused Sinn Fein of intimidating electoral officers to ensure that Michelle Gildernew won the Fermanagh and south Tyrone seat in the last general election.

The Ulster Unionists and Sinn Fein were today preparing for a Belfast High Court showdown over a hotly disputed General Election result.

Sinn Fein today insisted that the British Government’s implementation plan for policing was "not the last word" and claimed negotiations on the issue would continue.

Sinn Fein are today meeting Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid to study policing plans which could help decide the fate of the peace process.