Irish Farmers Journal Weekly Podcast

In this week's podcast, Irish Farmers Journal news journalist Odile Evans asks Teagasc economist Thia Hennessy what the 2016 economic forecast has in store for Irish farmers. The Northern Ireland helpline Rural Support has seen an increase in calls from farmers experiencing difficulties, its chief executive Jude McCann tells Northern Ireland editor David Wright. Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney speaks to market specialist Phelim O'Neill on a trade mission to Nigeria and Ghana in west Africa about gaining more markets for Irish beef and progress in the beef forum. At the Paris climate conference, digital editor Thomas Hubert met Oisín Coghlan, director of Friends of the Earth Ireland, and Dutch-based academic Geert Jan Nabuurs author of a study on options to use European forests in efforts to combat greenhouse gas emissions. James Mimnagh, contributor to the Farmer Writes column in the Irish Farmers Journal, tells us about his suckler and dairy farm and his plans to use antibiotics less systematically wh

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Irish Farmers Journal news correspondent Pat O'Toole discusses the continuing pay scandal at the top of the Irish Farmers' Association with news editor Patrick Donohoe. Increasing numbers of members are saying they will leave the organisation. Its environment committee chairman Harold Kingston reflects on the situation with Irish Farmers Journal digital editor Thomas Hubert. This week, the CellCheck awards honoured the 500 best dairy farmers in the country in terms of somatic cell counts. Irish Farmers Journal news journalist Odile Evans talked to a couple who made it to the top 10: James and Carmel Croke from Co Tipperary. For another perspective on dairying, Odile also visited a German farm recently. The Stratemann family farm has a turnover of €1.8m with just 75 cows. A group of young Irish farmers travelling there with Macra and Ornua shared their impressions of the visit.This week, the support group Embrace FARM announced that they were setting up a network in Cork to help the families affected by farmin

On Wednesday, officials at the Department of Agriculture held a briefing to explain what they are doing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. One of the solutions for Ireland would be to expand forestry – an argument developed by minister of state Tom Hayes.Last week, the R&H Hall industry conference in Maynooth invited several international analysts to share their views on the immediate future for dairy and grain markets. Irish Farmers Journal Northern Ireland correspondent Peter McCann was there and he talked to some of the speakers.We have a great multimedia report at the moment on Farmersjournal.ie looking behind at the scenes at Ornua’s German business. Kerrygold is the leading butter brand in the country and Odile Evans visited their factory. She also went to a local supermarket with one of Ornua’s German marketing executives.Safe Family Farms is a joint campaign of the Irish Farmers Journal and ESB Networks, and the company's managing director Marguerite Sayers explains why her company joined the

The past few days have brought a lot of uncertainty for young farmers who are planning to pass the Green Cert before they receive payments from the Young Farmer Scheme or the National Reserve. It is now clear that they must at least start their course before the end of this year to benefit from the schemes. Patrick Donohoe and Amy Fitzgibbon from the Irish Farmers Journal news desk clarify the situation. Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney answers Irish Farmers Journal digital editor Thomas Hubert's questions at the launch of the Safe Family Farms campaign in partnership with ESB Networks. He also answers farmers' concerns about the high numbers still waiting on BPS and ANC payments.Beyond the shiny stands and the massive new tractors, Irish Farmers Journal machinery editor James Maloney speaks with Teagasc’s mechanisation specialist Dermot Forristal about the trends emerging from the Agritechnica show that will actually help farmers. Irish Farmers Journal markets specialist Phelim O'Neill interviewed Bord Bia

In this week's podcast, Irish Farmers Journal machinery editor James Maloney tells digital editor Thomas Hubert what to expect from Agritechnica, the world's largest farm machinery show. With rural crime now at the centre of the public debate, An Garda Síochána launched operation Thor this week to tackle burglaries. Irish Farmers Journal news journalist Odile Evans was there and she brings us Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald’s answers to farmers’ security concerns. Irish Farmers Journal markets specialist Phelim O’Neill interviews Prof Michael Lee of the University of Bristol, who has an interesting take on the role of grass grazing in tackling climate change. He also gets an update on transatlantic trade negotiations from Stan Phillips, the US agriculture counsellor for the UK and Ireland. The Irish Farmers Journal's Northern Ireland editor David Wright interviews David Gibson, director of agriculture at Moy Park, following the sale of the poultry processor to the Brazilian meat giant JBS. And Irish Coun

In this week's podcast, Irish Farmers Journal markets specialist Phelim O'Neill looks at the details of the WHO report linking processed meat with cancer. He also tells digital editor Thomas Hubert about his reporting on the beef industry in Poland, where Irish-based meat processor ABP owns two factories. We did enjoy a real Indian summer through most of October, but it now looks like more regular rain and the drop in temperatures are here to stay. Irish Farmers Journal dairy specialists Aidan Brennan explains how to make the most of the current grazing conditions. This week's Irish Farmers Journal includes a supplement on the Beef Data and Genomics Programme. Livestock specialists Nathan Tuffy and Darren Carty answer the most common questions asked by our readers about the BDGP scheme. rish Farmers Journal reporter Odile Evans met Christy Kavanagh, a Christmas tree grower in Co Wicklow, at a meeting with the gardai on Wednesday to discuss Operation Hurdle. The scheme brings together the authorities and local

Glanbia has cut its milk price to 24c/l, with a 1c/l top-up for members of the co-op, and it has announced that it would pay €130/t for green barley. Many farmers feel those prices are too low, and Irish Farmers Journal editor Justin McCarthy sat down with dairy specialist Aidan Brennan, news correspondent Pat O’Toole and agribusiness editor Eoin Lowry to discuss how Glanbia is doing business at the moment. As the the two main companies in the FBD group hold EGMs on 22 October to decide on the sale of the company's hotels and property portfolio, Justin McCarthy and Eoin Lowry discuss the changes planned at the insurer founded by Irish farmers.On Tuesday, the National Dairy Council and Kerrygold held their annual Quality Milk Awards ceremony. Dairy editor Jack Kennedy was on the judging panel and he takes us back to the awards ceremony with online journalist Amy Fitzgibbon. While the maize harvest is in full swing here, Paula Melvin talked to a German farmer who has a very different view of that crop. Where H

Following this Tuesday's big budget announcements, Irish Farmers Journal farm finance specialist Peter Young sat down with digital editor Thomas Hubert to crunch some numbers. Reporter Odile Evans was among the 1,500 people attending the large public meeting on rural crime in Thurles last Thursday. Last week, the European rural youth conference took place in Strasbourg and journalist Paula Melvin was there with Macra na Feirme. She spoke with Julia Wagner, a young student from Austria who described a very different way of farming to what we are used to.Also from Austria, MEP Elisabeth Köstinger answers Paula Melvin’s questions on current farming issues in the European Parliament – starting with genetically modified crops, an area where European institutions cannot seem to find an agreement at the moment. Finally, Irish Country Living’s editor Mairead Lavery and consumer editor Ciara Leahy give us an update on the Women in Agriculture coming up at the end of this month – and the tickets are selling fast! Hoste

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With just a few days to go to next week's budget announcement, our farm finance specialist Peter Young asks Declan McEvoy, head of tax at IFAC accountants, what farmers can expect. News editor Patrick Donohoe attended the opening of Kerry Group’s new global Technology & Innovation Centre in Naas last week. He asked the chief executive of Kerry Group, Stan McCarthy, what the expansion meant for the company’s original farmer shareholders. Markets specialist Phelim O'Neill is just back from Poland, where he has been meeting members of the farming industry for a series of reports in the Irish Farmers Journal over the next three weeks. He explains that the growing Polish agriculture sector supplies mainly its domestic market - except for beef, where the lack of local demand makes the country a major exporter. Planting season has started for Irish tillage farmers. Journalist Paula Melvin met Meath man Howard Deheane as he started sowing winter wheat in the past few days. This week’s Irish Country Living is repo

The first meeting of the Dairy Forum brought all industry stakeholders together on Tuesday. Irish Farmers Journal digital editor Thomas Hubert spoke with the IFA’s dairy executive Catherine Lascurettes, who took part in the meeting. With two weeks to go to budget day, news editor Patrick Donohoe spoke with politicians as they met farming representatives this week. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys; Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe; and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin answer his questions. Looking back on last week's Ploughing, Amy Fitzgibbon met 15-year-old Conor McKeown, the youngest judge at the National Championship. Irish Country Living's Women in Agriculture conference will take place on 29 October 2015 in Trim, Co Meath and tickets are on sale now. Consumer editor Ciara Leahy tells journalist Mary Phelan about the highlights of the programme. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Farmers Journal online journalist Amy Fitzgibbon collected impressions from some of the hundreds of thousands of visitors to this week's National Ploughing Championships. President Michael D Higgins had strong words to highlight the role of farming at the heart of Irish society when he opened the event.Yet rural communities have been plagued by rising crime and Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan visited the Ploughing to explain what the Gardaí are doing to address this issue. News journalist Odile Evans recorded the testimony of John Duggan, a Co Waterford farmer who suffered three successive burglaries.One of the many events hosted on the Irish Farmers Journal’s stand at the Ploughing was the FBD National Farmyard Awards. Irish Country Living’s consumer editor Ciara Leahy spoke to national winner Sean Treacey just after the ceremony.Finally, Amy Fitzgibbon illustrates the wind of innovation and entrepreneurship felt at this year's Ploughing with a visit to the stand of Co Longford-based Lir Agri labo

Irish Farmers Journal news correspondent Amy Nora Fitzgibbon speaks to Liz McCormack of Lir Agri, a company that addresses industry specific requirements for cleaning and sanitation on dairy farms, in the local enterprise village at the National Ploughing Championships 2015. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Irish Farmers Journal carries an exclusive interview with Taoiseach Enda Kenny this week. Listen to extracts from the interview on the importance of suckler beef and the "battle ahead" on climate change, discussed by news editor Patrick Donohoe and news correspondent Pat O'Toole.At the Agricultural Science Association’s conference on Friday, Padraig Brennan, Sustainability Development Manager at Bord Bia, said that we should start having a positive discussion about climate change and Irish agriculture. Journalist Odile Evans asked him what he meant by this. One of the many events organised by the Irish Farmers Journal at the National Ploughing Championships is the Innovation Arena, where companies and individuals compete to convince the judges that their invention is the best business idea to meet farmers' needs. Digital editor Thomas Hubert asked machinery editor James Maloney how the contest will unfold. Irish Country Living journalist Mary Phelan tells consumer editor Ciara Leahy about the l

Irish Farmers Journal news correspondent Paul Mooney was in Brussels on Monday for the EU-wide farmers' protest and special meeting of agriculture ministers. He tells news editor Patrick Donohoe about the atmosphere on the streets and the outcome to be expected from the €500m in support for farm incomes announced by the European Commission. The debate on rural crime heated up again in the past few days and part of the problem is livestock theft, with a growing number of farmers buying insurance against this risk. Digital editor Thomas Hubert talked to Fergal Brady, a sales executive with FBD in the border region, where the problem is most serious. In Co Mayo, the Calvey family are famous for the quality of the Blackface lambs they raise and butcher on Achill Island - so much so that they have trademarked the name Achill for lamb sales. But in recent years, another company, Caoracla, has started to source gourmet lamb sourced from the island and the Currane Peninsula. Thomas Hubert met Caoracla's director Edwa

In this week's podcast, Irish Farmers Journal reporter Lorcan Allen followed the 2,000 farmers who protested outside the European Commission’s office in Dublin on 31 August. Odile Evans interviews Co Louth pig farmer and FBD Young Farmer Award winner Jonathan Marry.Digital editor Thomas Hubert talks to outgoing Youg Farmer of the year Sean O'Donnell and Teagasc geneticist Donagh Berry, both speakers at the recent Virginia Show's dairy conference.And Irish Country Living's Consumer editor Ciara Leahy explains why the cost of car insurance is going up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's podcast digital editor Thomas Hubert speaks to Irish Farmers Journal livestock specialist Nathan Tuffy about the mart price review, published in this week's paper. News editor Patrick Donohoe asks dairy specialist Aidan Brennan what effect the wet weather conditions of the past few days have had on farms and he also speaks to market specialist Phelim O'Neill about how soon Irish manufacturing beef could be in the US. Finally, Irish Country Living consumer editor Ciara Leahy speaks to journalist Aisling Hussey about farming in Malawi, which Aisling experienced first-hand on her trip to Africa in June, sponsored by the Simon Cumbers media fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Michael Brennan, one of the architects of the Quality Payment System (QPS), commonly known as the beef grid, has told the Irish Farmer Journal that the gap in payments between grades no longer reflects the yield and should have been increased as beef prices rose. Markets specialist Phelim O'Neill discusses the proposal with news editor Patrick Donohoe. The Irish Farmer Journal's Northern Ireland correspondent Peter McCann talks to host Declan Rafferty, who hosted a recent Northern Ireland Suckler Beef Programme farm walk, and CAFRE advisor Brian Hanthorn about block calving and innovative ways of reseeding.Gerry Murphy, meteorologist with Met Éireann and one of the presenters of the Farming Forecast on RTE 1, tells Irish Farmers Journal journalist Amy Fitzgibbon that the cold and wet weather in the west in July had do with a track of wind called the jet stream - one of the phenomena he has been watching for nearly 15 years. And Irish Country Living's consumer editor Ciara Leahy and journalist Roisin Healy