
The Farming Week: TB proposals, used farm tyres and the forgotten farmers
May 8, 2025 5:10 pm
Charles O'Donnell, Aisling O'Brien and Maitiú Monaghan bring you the biggest stories of the week in Irish agriculture from Agriland, which this week includes:
DAFM presents proposals to TB Summit ;
; Commissioner to keep direct payments for farmers ;
; Minister outlines collection of used agricultural tyres from farms;
Forgotten farmers survey launched;
'Up-regulation' for antiparasitic products deferred to September;
'Escaping cow' mural draws the crowds.
Don't forget to rate, review and follow The Farming Week, Agriland's weekly review of Irish agriculture, and visit Agriland.ie for more.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Agriland
4 hours ago
- Agriland
Dairy breeding elite set for Cavan as Baileys Champion Cow returns
Some of the best Holstein Friesian genetics in Ireland will be on show at this year's Diageo Baileys Champion Dairy Cow Competition, taking place at the Virginia Show on Wednesday, August 20. According to competition co-ordinator Patrick Gaynor, it is not just the €13,000 prize fund that has attracted a strong response from breeders across Ireland this year. Gaynor mentioned that 28 cows are entered, including a record eight coming from four Northern Irish counties - Antrim, Armagh, Derry, and Down - with other exhibitors travelling from as far away as counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary. He also paid tribute to the support of both the Irish Holstein Friesian Association and Holstein Northern Ireland (NI), crediting the warm welcome and the prestige of the 'Baileys Cow' title as the main draw for exhibitors. 'The welcome competitors receive from the organisers and sponsors as well as the prestige of even taking part in a competition as well known as 'the Baileys' is I believe what makes it special.' Now in its fifth decade, the competition continues to be one of the most sought-after titles in the pedigree dairy community, backed by one of the longest-running sponsorship partnerships in Irish agriculture – between Diageo, owner of Baileys Irish Cream, and its cream supplier Tirlán. The cream for Baileys is produced down the road from the showgrounds at Tirlán's Virginia site, making the event a showcase for the global brand's Irish provenance. Judging duties this year will fall to Italian breeder Giuseppe Beltramino from northern Italy. MC duties will once again be handled by Michael Taffe. Proceedings get underway at 3.00pm, preceded by a parade of the Holstein Friesians entering the main ring. A special VIP guest will join Diageo Ireland's corporate relations director Shane Kelly and Tirlán chairperson John Murphy to present the top prize and the Virginia Milk Products Cup trophy.


Agriland
4 hours ago
- Agriland
Government urged to consider Fair Deal proposals as farmers seek reform
Farmers are seeking an urgent reform of the Fair Deal scheme. The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has told Agriland it is seeking a meeting with the Government to discuss the Fair Deal and ask for immediate changes to the scheme that it says are necessary to prevent people losing their farms. Under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, also referred to as Fair Deal, financial support is offered to people in long-term nursing home care. Nursing home residents pay part of the nursing home fees according to their means, and the HSE pays the balance. The IFA is seeking a number of changes to the Fair Deal. The association has proposed to reduce the five-year land/business transfer clause to three years in line with the 'three-year cap', to allow more farmers to benefit from the Fair Deal. The IFA has proposed that land leased under Fair Deal should be classed as 'actively farmed' for the purposes of meeting succession criteria. The IFA is also seeking an increase in the ancillary state support loan payback to a minimum of five years to allow sufficient time to repay the costs. The current cash asset disregard for a single person is €36,000 and €72,000 for a couple; IFA is asking for these to be increased to €44,000 and €88,000 respectively. The IFA has said that the assessment period for the family home under Fair Deal should be reduced from three years to two, with a maximum contribution of 15% of the home's value, instead of the current cap of 22.5%. The IFA has also proposed that income from leased farmland should be excluded or at least partially disregarded in the Fair Deal financial assessment. IFA farm family and social affairs committee chairperson Teresa Roche told Agriland that the association is putting emphasis on "how unfair" the Fair Deal is for family farms, and that people "with assets are being penalised." Under current rules, families may apply for a cap that limits the contribution of farm or business assets to nursing home costs to three years, but only if strict conditions are met. The three-year cap was introduced in 2021 for qualifying family farms and businesses, limiting the asset-based contribution to the total of 22.5% (7.5% a year, for three years). After three years, the value of family-owned farms and businesses is not considered when calculating the cost of a person's nursing home care. Roche said that the Fair Deal criteria needs to be urgently changed, in order to protect family farms. It is understood that thousands of individuals who have land under long-term lease arrangements are likely to be excluded from the three-year cap. Roche said this is putting farms with leased land "in huge jeopardy". She said there is a threat to food production in Ireland as a result of people being "forced to sell" farms to cover the costs of nursing home care. Roche said the IFA is seeking a full review of the Fair Deal, which the association believes is overdue. "We're waiting for a meeting with the government to discuss this," she added. The Department of Health told Agriland that discussions in relation to its annual budget are underway, and any changes to the Fair Deal "would need to be considered as part of the annual estimates process which is ongoing at the moment". "The department has regular engagement with key nursing home stakeholders from the sector regarding the Nursing Homes Support Scheme," it added. Related Stories Rural TD calls for urgent reform of Fair Deal scheme Cork TD Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon recently to provide an update on his department's engagement with the Department for Health in relation to examining the Fair Deal to ensure it does not impede succession planning and recognises the distinctive position of agricultural land. The minister said that farm succession is a "complex issue and there are many factors that impact farmers' decisions". "Last October, an independent Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming was established. The commission is taking an objective, evidence-based approach examining the range of factors involved that contribute to the age demographic in the sector," the minister replied. "I am expecting the commission to report to me on policy options shortly."


Agriland
4 hours ago
- Agriland
Tight beef supply situation expected to continue into 2026
The situation of reduced beef supplies is expected to continue into 2026, according to Bord Bia senior manager of meat and livestock, Joe Burke. Speaking at a Kepak event on the farm of suppliers Brian and Noelle O'Keeffe in Glanworth, Co. Cork, on Wednesday, August 13, Burke set out the current state of play in global beef markets. Responding to a question from Agriland on Bord Bia's beef market outlook in the short to medium-term, he said: "We are likely to see that relatively tight supply situation continue on into the year end and on into 2026 as well." He noted that the "very high price point at the moment is very welcome in terms of the level of positivity that it's after injecting into the sector". "It's being felt all the way through from the farmers who are selling reared calves and runners all the way through to weanlings, store and finished animals. It's a great time for the sector." The Bord Bia senior manager said: "In the last month or two, price has really been pushed on as a result of this really tight supply that we're seeing." He said that factors including lower calf registrations and higher cattle exports are attributing to the drop in cattle numbers domestically and also said that the trend of falling cattle numbers is also being seen in the key markets Ireland is exporting beef into. On cattle numbers, he said: "There's no sign of any recovery in terms of supply in the UK or even in the continental markets." He highlighted that recent outbreaks of bluetongue in some European countries have hit the fertility rates of the breeding suckler and dairy cows in the affected countries. "Bluetongue has had an impact. There have been less calf registrations in Europe because it has impacted the fertility of dairy and suckler herds in those countries where that has been an issue." "Seeing those growing alternative options for stock being exported live, whether it be to Northern Ireland or even Europe or North Africa or Europe in recent years that has resulted in a tightening of the available pool of animals coming through, has definitely had a knock-on impact," he noted.