Angus Woods: Culling badgers won't solve bovine TB – we need to address the movement of cattle in and out of farms
I've never agreed with the narrative that culling badgers will solve the TB problem for Irish farmers. There are several badger setts on the land I farm, and the one on my home farm is particularly impressive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
26 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Bank of Ireland reports 'resilient' spending with card activity up 6.5% in May
Irish consumers continued to display confidence in May, with Bank of Ireland card spending rising by 6.5% annually. The rise in credit and debit card activity marked another month of strong growth in consumer activity, the lender said, with the "robust" growth significantly outpacing inflation, suggesting household spending remains a key driver of economic momentum. Despite ongoing global uncertainty and trade tensions, Irish consumers have not pulled back on their spending, Bank of Ireland said, with the data showing no evidence of a slowdown in expenditure, even in categories typically sensitive to economic sentiment. Retail spending in May rose by 3.6%, which Bank of Ireland said reflected steady demand for clothing, groceries and household items. Meanwhile, spending on services rise by 3.7% in the month, underpinned by continued demand for personal care, transport and professional services. Social spending was also up in the month, rising by 6.4%, with notable increases in restaurant and accommodation expenditure. Restaurant spending alone climbed 6.3%, the bank added, well above the 3.4% inflation rate for this category. Likewise, accommodation spending also rose by 5.6%, with prices in this segment remaining broadly stable. Importantly, Bank of Ireland said there was no sign of a decline in spending on 'big-ticket' items such as furniture, electrical goods, airline fares, or holidays, areas that often see early cuts when consumer confidence wanes. While Irish consumer confidence dipped to two-year lows in April, according to the European Commission survey, sentiment rebounded somewhat in May, the lender noted. The decline in confidence was largely confined to concerns about the broader economic outlook, Bank of Ireland said. In contrast, consumers' expectations regarding their intentions to make major purchases remained more resilient. This divergence suggests that while Irish households are aware of global risks, they are not allowing these concerns to significantly influence their day-to-day or long-term spending decisions. Commenting on the figures, Bank of Ireland's Chief Economist, Conall Mac Coille, said: "Irish consumers are understandably cautious about global developments, but the data shows they remain confident in their own financial outlook. "The 6.5% rise in card spending in May reflects a resilient economy and a willingness to continue making key purchases. This broad-based growth across sectors highlights the strength and stability of household consumption, even in the face of international uncertainty."
The 42
36 minutes ago
- The 42
'We are not happy with this performance' - Hallgrimsson concerned by Ireland's inconsistency
HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON DID not sugar-coat Ireland's performance after they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Luxembourg, saying his side did not match the effort they put in against Senegal in Dublin last Friday. 'Let's be honest, we are not happy with this performance', the Irish manager told RTE. 'It's good to keep a clean sheet but we felt first half we were sloppy, the game was boring, all the good things we did against Senegal was missing: all the quick movements, the press, the ball speed. 'In the second half we had more tempo, we won more duels, but it was not good enough. We like getting answers to questions but this was a negative one.' Advertisement Ireland will begin World Cup qualifying in September with a home game against second seeds Hungary before travelling to play bottom-ranked Armenia, and Hallgrimsson put the difference in Ireland's performance levels in that context. 'This is something we must learn from, we must play the same way against everyone, whether it's a friendly at the end of the season or a group stage game, we need to play the same way all the time. 'This can teach us a lesson. It is understandable players are thinking, 'after this game we have a break for a long time', and there were a few injuries from fatigue, and maybe they were a little bit careful as they don't want to be injured at the end of the season. 'Even if we had won the game we would not have been happy with the performance.' Asked by RTÉ to acknowledge the positives, including debutant goalkeeper Max O'Leary's clean sheet, Hallgrimsson quickly veered back to the negative side. 'We can always find something positive and we will do that, first and foremost, the effort we put into this game was so much less than against Senegal.' Midfielder Jason Knight said there was much for Ireland to improve. 'Obviously it wasn't the most comprehensive performance by any means', said Knight. 'Loads to work on out there. But a lot of change, a lot of new lads into the squad. I think there's definitely things to improve, definitely from tonight. But overall a decent camp and now everyone's looking forward to September. 'We had the chances. And we limited them to very few. Obviously on another day we probably scored two or three, but that's what we've got to improve. But like I say, loads to improve on, but loads of good stuff as well.'
The 42
36 minutes ago
- The 42
Ireland round out the season with dreary draw away to Luxembourg
Luxembourg 0 Republic of Ireland 0 THIS BORE, END-OF-SEASON draw was just about the most passive mutual offering from Ireland and Luxembourg since they designed their respective tax regimes. Acknowledging that June friendlies are hardly havens for confidence or rich feeling, Ireland were desperately poor in the first-half, with their passing ragged and their energy levels low. They were much better after half-time, though, and were unfortunate not to grab a late winner when substitute Jack Taylor smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar. They ultimately had to settle for a goalless draw, one which extends their unbeaten run to four games and does not seriously check their momentum going into September's World Cup qualifying campaign. Ireland, though, will have to play much better than this if they are to take enough points from the opening games against Hungary and Armenia to maintain an active interest in qualifying through to the final games in November. Heimir Hallgrimsson decided to reward the oft-travelling, rarely-seen Max O'Leary with a first Irish start, giving Caoimhín Kelleher a break. Jake O'Brien replaced Matt Doherty at right-back with Killian Phillips making his full senior debut in midfield, with Ryan Manning benched. Evan Ferguson – whose sharpness in training had impressed his manager – earned a start having come close to doing so on Friday, while Troy Parrott returned to lead the line. Ireland's shape was that to which we have become accustomed: a 4-4-2 without the ball that morphed into a fancier, 3-4-2-1 with the ball. Phillips dropped into deep midfield alongside Jason Knight with Will Smallbone freed up to play further forward. Among Ireland's first-half problems: their evolving formation got stuck in its larval, two-banks-of-four phase, such was Luxembourg's dominance of the ball. O'Leary was sharp to dive to his left to push Danel Sinani's long-range shot around the post, a move whose genesis was a clumsy lay-off by Ferguson to Phillips. Advertisement Hallgrimsson, growing increasingly frustrated, swapped Phillips and Smallbone's positions. That move was tantamount to tinkering around a crash site. Ireland's passing was awful, with players remonstrating with one another as moves continually broke down. An ugly problem from Ireland's last few years also reared its head, with Knight, Phillips and Smallbone looking rushed and uncomfortable when they were pressed in midfield by their opposite number. Troy Parrott contributed Ireland's best moment from open play shortly before half-time, when he controlled the ball and spun away from his aggressive marker, Eldin Džogović, who responded by kicking him in the calf. It was a rare moment of conviction from any Irish player. Smallbone floated the resultant free-kick to Dara O'Shea at the back post, whose square header was met by Nathan Collins, who stooped and headed the ball against the post. Ireland mercifully improved after half-time. Kasey McAteer hinted at the severity of the half-time message by quickly closing down and opponent to rob possession and then pull a left-footed shot wide of the far post. McAteer should have remained so single-minded a few minutes later, but rather than go for goal himself, he instead directed a free header from Ryan Manning's terrific deep cross back across goal for Parrott, who handled the ball amid a miscued effort to try and force the ball over the line. Jack Taylor and Festy Ebosele were sprung from the bench within 10 minutes of the restart and both combined for another chance, only for Taylor to pull a shot wide having been smartly picked out by Ebosele on the edge of the box. Ireland finally managed an effort on target shortly after, as Parrott ran in behind to collect McAteer's pass before lifting the ball delightfully over the onrushing goalkeeper. Parrott, alas, was too eager in making his run and had strayed offside. McAteer, now shifted to an inside-left role as opposed to standing out on the right wing, grew far more influential, but was also guilty of over-enthusiasm in taking an over-the-shoulder volley too early having been picked out by a ball over the top. His shot was tame and easy for Luxembourg's teenage goalkeeper. But alas as many of the Irish players improved around him, Evan Ferguson visibly waned; his lack of match minutes across the season becoming painfully evident. He was caught too often on his heels, most gallingly when Dara O'Shea played a risky pass through midfield that was intended for Ferguson, but intercepted by the much more alert Tomas Moreira, whom Ferguson pursued and then fouled. He was booked, and eventually withdrawn for Adam Idah with 15 minutes remaining. Taylor came agonisingly close to winning the game as the clock ticked out. First Parrott wriggled brilliantly along the endline to pull the ball back for Idah, whose heavy touch ended with the ball running out to Taylor on the edge of the box, who smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar John Patrick came off the bench for a late senior debut, and showed some very neat touches, most obviously on the edge of his own box after Matt Doherty recovered brilliantly to snuff out a late Luxembourg counter. The Spanish-born midfielder will be among a handful of people on earth to remember this game. While Ireland will have to be vastly improved in September, the context of this game is enough to avoid ringing any alarm bells. Already without the bulk of their Championship contingent, the squad were carrying an accumulated fatigue that will not exist in three months' time. This season, after all, has been long and, er, taxing. Luxembourg: Tiago Pereira; Eldin Džogović, Laurent Jans (Michael Pinto, 62′), Seid Korac, Dirk Carlson; Leandro Barreiro, Tomas Moreira, Danel Sinani; Florian Bohnert (Vincent Thill, 62′) , Gerson Rodrigues (Eric Veiga, 82′), Aiman Dardari (Alessio Curci, 76′) Republic of Ireland: Max O'Leary; Jake O'Brien, Nathan Collins (captain), Dara O'Shea, Robbie Brady (Ryan Manning, 20′); Kasey McAteer (Matt Doherty, 75′), Jason Knight (John Patrick,90′), Will Smallbone (Jack Taylor, 55′), Killian Phillips (Festy Ebosele, 55′); Evan Ferguson (Adam Idah, 75′), Troy Parrott Referee: Stefan Ebner (Austria)
