WATERFORD are planning to make cuts across the board to make up for the €120,000 shortfall in their 2011 accounts.

IRELAND can use the launch of a new €220m EU fund for sustainable building projects as a springboard for further green energy projects, according to a leading industry expert.

THOUSANDS of rural jobs can be created in renewable energy if the Government puts the right policies in place, IFA president John Bryan said.

* Penneys’ exclusive ‘Limited Edition Collection’ arrives in store tomorrow. This signature five-piece range draws reference from the ’60s with baby doll dresses, Peter Pan collars and sheer blouses in polka dots and powder hues from €17 to €21. The boutique line will be available for a limited time only at Penneys Mary Street, Blanchardstown, Dundrum, O’Connell Street, Swords, Galway City, Newbridge, Wilton and Cork. Info: 01 2157202.

FARMERS can avail of savings of up to 14% on their farm and household electricity costs under a new deal agreed between the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and Bord Gáis.

EUROPEAN food production could come under severe pressure as member states strive to meet the EU’s 2020 biofuels usage targets, according to a new environmental report.

FARMERS who followed government advice and planted rape seed, miscanthus, willow and other biomass and biofuel crops are furious about a shift in state bioenergy policy, according to the Irish Farmers Association.

BIOFUEL producers want the Government to protect jobs by prioritising home-produced fuels over exports under its new green fuel usage scheme.

A NEW Government support price structure for bio- energy will boost the use of natural materials for the production of electricity, Energy Minister Eamon Ryan predicted when he announced the scheme yesterday.

A DELEGATION from the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) told an Oireachtas sub-committee yesterday it has identified an initial 6,000 strategic locations, where farmers can establish micro-wind turbines in a non-visually intrusive way.

THE Government’s real commitment to the development of an indigenous renewable energy industry using agricultural produce and by-products has been questioned by the Irish Farmers’ Association.

With changes in agriculture and food production predicted as a result of climate change, the Government has announced incentives for growing energy crops, writes Agribusiness Correspondent RAY RYAN

THE Government has been urged to clarify how its Energy White Paper will contribute to regional and rural development.

PAYMENTS under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) will apply to the planting of willow and miscanthus, Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan has announced.

THE Government has been urged to stimulate the development of a viable indigenous biofuel industry similar to the successful approach taken by Germany’s government.

IRELAND appeared to create a little history on Wednesday night in San Marino. They became the first side to lose a game despite scoring more goals than the opposition.

AN €8 MILLION grants package to encourage farmers to grow energy crops was announced yesterday by Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan.

THE IFA has organised an information seminar on the future of cereal production and alternative land use at Midleton Park Hotel in Co Cork on Wednesday night.

THE Government has been urged to prioritise the creation of a sustainable indigenous agricultural bio-energy sector as a matter of urgency.

THEY have shared five of the last six All-Ireland Hurling titles. But familiarity has only sharpened people’s enthusiasm and, perhaps in some cases, dulled their senses ahead of tomorrow’s Cork v Kilkenny clash.

DESPITE the huge number of open-air concerts last year, new arrival Electric Picnic proved the hit of the summer and with another star-studded line-up just announced, it looks poised to repeat the trick.

UL made it back-to-back titles in the JJ Kavanagh Ashbourne Cup when they defeated UCD 0-12 to 1-4 in Ballygunner yesterday.

WATERFORD IT will host this year’s Ashbourne Cup, the oldest camogie competition in existence.

Opposition to Iarnród Eireann's proposed closure of railway lines in the southeast appears to be gaining momentum.