IS THIS for real? That was my initial reaction to the recent publication of 'Food Harvest 2020', a vision for Irish Agriculture and Fisheries in 2020. Here we are with collapsing cattle and sheep herds, inability to reach our national milk quota in the last two years, record farm borrowing, lame duck banks, run-down soil [...]
For the past five years Margo O’Neill has chosen to live on a diet consisting almost entirely of organic food. Although she admits her £200-a-week shopping bill would be lower if she bought ordinary fare, O’Neill insists the benefits outweigh the costs. “The food tastes better and it gives me more energy,” said O’Neill, a [...]
Up to 2,000 food and drink industry jobs have been lost this year and thousands more are at risk, according to a representative body for the sector. Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII), which is part of employers' group Ibec, has called on the Government to reduce energy cost which it said are far higher [...]
During the final three decades of the last century, due to EU regulations, farming production systems in Ireland and across western Europe, became very 'intensive', with the emphasis on maximum production rather than market requirements. This consequently led to over production and the inevitable introduction of 'production limits or quotas'. This has resulted in reduced [...]
Here at Sunpeak Ireland we bring you the highest quality renewable energy products on the market today. Weather its solar, wind or biomass, good quality products will last longer and work more efficiently than lesser quality products. With this in mind we are delighted to announce our new partnership with Gaia-Wind. Gaia-Wind is based in [...]
The weakening sterling is costing Irish processors €135,000 (£121,000) a week in the value of exports. The home market is also experiencing losses, due to competition from cheaper imports from sterling areas. Irish poultry processors are losing 30% of the value of poultry exports. Sterling was at its lowest just before Christmas, when it was [...]
Biomass crops such as willow and miscanthus are set to reap the benefit of falling grain prices as tillage farmers turn to energy crops to boost income. The €2m fund provided by the Department of Agriculture for establishing willow and miscanthus is expected to be fully subscribed by the January 30 deadline or even earlier. [...]
Mr Trevor Sargent T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with special responsibility for Horticulture today announced a grant aid package of €9.4m under the Grant Scheme for the Development of the Horticulture Sector under the National Development Plan (2007-2013). Grants to 189 horticultural producers for capital investments in new [...]
A study of the pig industry to prepare a Development Strategy for the sector has been conducted by the Teagasc Pig Production Development Unit. An extensive consultation process with all the main stakeholders was undertaken and the findings compiled into a draft report on the future of the industry. In Abbeyleix last week, an outline [...]
The Minister for Food and Horticulture, Mr Trevor Sargent T.D., at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, today met with key representatives – Mayors, Local Authority Managers, Cathaoirligh, and Town Clerks – from local authorities for a dialogue on direct routes to market for local food with a particular focus on farmers' markets. “I [...]
