THE Green Party has riled up backbench Fianna Fáil TDs by pressing ahead with a controversial law to stop pack dogs hunting stags.

I USED to be an inveterate funeral goer – several per week. I hadn’t been to one for the past two years until the unexpected death of newspaper man and former schoolmate, Alan Ruddock.

IT was like a car crash of game show formats at Leinster House yesterday.

The Taoiseach is dropping seven TDs from the junior ministerial ranks, it was confirmed this afternoon, as the new line-up of 15 Ministers of State appeared for an official photocall at Leinster House.

Meath East TD Mary Wallace has confirmed that she is one of the junior ministers who will lose their jobs in the reshuffle being announced by the Taoiseach this afternoon.

THE battle against obesity will continue for years to come, it was emphasised yesterday, as it emerged only a slim number of a Government task force plans on fighting the health condition were implemented.

Only one-fifth of recommendations from a national obesity taskforce has been implemented by the Government in recent years, according to a report published today.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has promised a symbolic cull of junior

TWO out of five shops and two out of three licensed premises are still willing to sell cigarettes to children, new research shows.

Children are still being sold cigarettes in two out of five shops, it emerged today.

Women and older people get the blues more often than the rest of the population, a new survey has found.

WOMEN and older people get the blues more often than the rest of the population, a survey has revealed.

THE Food Safety Authority of Ireland has said there are no public health issues after milk with illegal levels of dioxin were discovered on two dairy farms in Northern Ireland.

The Government today launched an ambitious plan to improve men’s health – but said there is no extra money available to fund it.

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.

Irish people are eating too much butter, biscuits and cakes which could lead to health problems in later life, a survey found today.

CONTRARY to popular opinion, a study reveals that affluent families are most likely to have obese children.

WITH the obesity time bomb ticking louder than ever people must take more responsibility for their health, warned junior health minister Mary Wallace yesterday.

IRELAND is on track to experience the same appalling obesity problems that are causing widespread health problems across the United States.

Minister for Health Promotion and Food Safety Mary Wallace TD today asked students collecting their Junior Cert results to celebrate sensibly and not to include alcohol in their festivities.

FIANNA Fáil has denied that Junior Minister Mary Wallace said there would be a second referendum if voters reject the Lisbon treaty on Thursday week.

NINE out of 10 adults agree that underage drinking is a problem in Ireland but half believe they can do nothing about it, recent research shows.

BRIAN COWEN promoted five newcomers to junior ministerial posts last night as opposition parties accused him of indulging in “jobs for the boys” at taxpayers’ expense.

AS we come to the end of another tree-planting season, it is now estimated the forestry programme will be less than 5,000 hectares this year.

Hundreds of jobs could be created in forestry with the rising demand for wood as fuel over the coming years, an energy seminar heard today.

GRANT levels for certain elements of the NeighbourWood Scheme and the Native Woodland Scheme have been announced by Forestry Minister Mary Wallace.

FIVE grant schemes aimed primarily at existing forest owners have been re-opened.

PRODUCING energy crops will only have a viable future if they can provide a return on investment and labour for farmers, Irish Farmers Association President, Padraig Walshe, declared at the launch of a farm diversification manual in Dublin.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has defended the practice of sending ministers abroad for St Patrick’s Day after it emerged that one minister’s hotel room last year cost €1,650 a night.

MEMBERS of the Agricultural Consultants Association were urged by Forestry Minister Mary Wallace at their annual general meeting in Athlone last night to remind their clients to think safety.

FARMERS in REPS with up to 30 hectares (75 acres) can now avail of €724 per hectare Forest Environment Protection Scheme (FEPS) payments on as little as five hectares.

NEW planting is vital to the forestry sector so that it can continue to provide an income stream for farmers and a steady supply of material for the timber and energy industries.

COMMUNITIES and local authorities have been urged by Forestry Minister Mary Wallace to participate in some of the 300 or more events which will take place around the country during National Tree Week (March 2-8).

THE public has been warned of an increased “real and immediate” risk of forest fires due to the current weather conditions.

CHANGES to the Forest Environment Protection Scheme (FEPS) were announced yesterday by Minister of State Mary Wallace, who described them as a major boost to the planting programme.

A DUTCH expert has predicted that in the most environmentally friendly scenario, integrated renewable sources — biomass, wind, hydro and solar — could fill up to 75% of the world’s long-term energy needs.

COILLTE and Fáilte Ireland are setting an example for rural communities and farmers to develop recreational facilities and amenities that are attractive to both domestic and overseas visitors.

PROVIDING raw materials for bioenergy production represents an opportunity for farmers and rural communities, according to Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan.

NO threats to the health and vitality of the national forest estate were discovered in a field study carried out by the Department of Agriculture.

THE country’s largest priority woodland restoration project, co-funded by Coillte and the EU, has been launched by forestry minister Mary Wallace.

THE forestry and wood products sector contribute more than €1.65 billion annually to the economy.

FOREST-RELATED tour-ism and recreation activities in Coillte plantations generate an estimated €268 million of economic activity for the rural economy every year, it was disclosed yesterday.

PLANTATION forests can make a positive contribution to biodiversity, according to research conducted at Trinity College.

FARMERS are now responsible for more than 90% of new planting, Forestry Minister Mary Wallace revealed when she presented the Irish Forestry Awards at Castletown House, Celbridge, Co Kildare.