Latest news with #Farm
Agriland
2 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Report: New finance models needed to ‘de-risk' climate adaptation costs on farms
The processor-farmer relationship offers 'significant potential to drive climate transformation in the Irish agri-food sector, according to a new research report published today (Friday, May 30) by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA). In the report 'Farm to Finance: The Processor–Farmer Nexus in Ireland's Agricultural Climate Transition', the IIEA said that the sector faces 'unique challenges' in balancing its climate targets against future competitiveness. But the author of the report, Matthew G. O' Neill, put forward that new 'hybrid financing models' are needed to de-risk investment by farmers because of the high costs associated with climate adaptation and mitigation measures. He also highlighted that agriculture accounts for 37.8% of Ireland's national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which puts pressure on both processors and farmers in the sector to decarbonise. The report stated that the credibility of climate action within Irish agri-food systems 'rests on a good monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system'. In a list of recommendations contained in the report, one outlined that platforms such as Teagasc's AgNav be further developed as independent, farmer-trusted systems, with transparent data governance, consent-based data sharing, and tangible feedback mechanisms to participating farmers. The IIEA also advised that blended finance models, sovereign-backed transition bonds, and tailored green loan products could be aligned with 'sector specific realities' to facilitate access for smaller farms. The third recommendation the report made was to promote the fairer distribution of transition costs across the food chain. It claims that sustainably linked price signals should be strengthened through voluntary and regulatory mechanisms. According to the report, expanding sustainability incentive structures, integrating technologies with safeguards, and sustaining legitimacy and commitment. IIEA report The IIEA hosted a panel discussion about the report in Dublin today (Mayo 30). Participants on the panel included the Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) chief economist, Tadhg Buckley, Irish Business and Employers' Confederation's (IBEC) Dale Crammond, farmer and Talamh Beo representative, Ailbhe Gerrard and Agriland, deputy news editor, Francess McDonnell. IFA economist Buckley believes that the relationship between farmers and processors is 'incredibly integrated'. He said: 'Something we often don't realise is that the vast majority of farmers in Ireland don't actually interact with consumers. 'Their interaction with the marketplace is through their processor. So the processor plays a huge role in the overall framework.' 'In terms of incentivising farmers to the sustainability challenge, that relationship is absolutely integral, it's the most important relation of all actually, it's the processor farmer relationship,' Buckley added. IBEC's director of meat industry claimed that processors have to do 'everything they can' to try and advance the sustainability agenda. He believes the consumer has a significant influence on the relationship between the processor and the farmer. Crammond said: 'The price (consumers) are prepared to pay for sustainably produced products, my concern would be that there is a limit to that. 'We've seen a very significant increase in the price of beef, but that has created a challenge for the processing sector, in terms of being able to get those returns back in the marketplace,' the IBEC director explained. Source IIEA During the discussion on the report Ailbhe Grogan, representing Talamh Beo, also commented on key theme identified in the report highlighted the role that the retailer plays in the food processing chain. She said: 'With the centralisation of meat processing in larger and larger factories, I would love to see an EU supported and national government supported mobile abattoir for animal welfare that go to the farms. 'I think that there is absolutely a place for decentralising and denationalise things, quite a lot of it.' 'It takes time, it takes effort, it takes input and I would love to see the retailers and the meat processing industry talking with farmers, because farmers would like to have more options for animal kills and and more local processing,' Grogan added.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The Grand Tour fans threaten to boycott Amazon Prime hit as they fume over new line up after Clarkson and co quit
They think the show was created specifically for Jeremy Clarkson and his long-time colleagues NO FUEL The Grand Tour fans threaten to boycott Amazon Prime hit as they fume over new line up after Clarkson and co quit Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FANS of The Grand Tour have threatened to boycott the Amazon Prime hit series. Longtime viewers were left fuming over the new line-up after Jeremy Clarkson decided to quit the programme. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 8 Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May will be replaced on their Amazon Prime show Credit: Getty 8 James Engelsman from the viral Throttle House YouTube channel will be one of the presenters Credit: iNSTAGRAM 8 His long-time co-star Thomas Holland will also form part of the new lineup Credit: Instagram After departing the BBC and leaving Top Gear behind in 2015, The Clarkson's Farm star teamed up again with his longtime colleagues. Alongside James May and Richard Hammond, he brought the on-screen band back together to make a different motoring show in 2016. The trio went on to front five full series of The Grand Tour, before airing one last special as a grand send off in September 2024. It marked the end of a 22-year-long collaboration between Jeremy, 65, James, 62, and Richard, 55. Now, it's been revealed that the series will continue on Amazon Prime but with new presenters leading the format. Thomas Holland and James Engelsman are a viral duo from the Throttle House car YouTube channel and they will be the new faces of the show. They were revealed to be the replacement from the original duo after they seemingly impressed bosses with their platform that boasts over three million subscribers. The duo will be joined by viral trainspotting personality, Francis Bourgeois, who received international fame for his enthusiasm for railways. A source previously told us: "Thomas and James are as knowledgeable about motors as Jeremy, Richard and James — the only difference is they're younger, cooler and a lot more social media savvy. "Francis became famous for his love of trainspotting and will be bringing his humour to the show." I shall miss this' says emotional Jeremy Clarkson in new trailer for The Grand Tour's epic final ever episode However, droves of fans have been left disappointed by the news as they flooded X, formerly known as Twitter with comments. One viewer posted: "I will watch a grand total of 0 episodes." A second stated: "Oh F**! What is the actual point? This will be a bigger disaster than Top Gear was." "The Grand Tour was created for Jeremy, Richard and James so this is feeling wrong. Why not give it a fresh new name and not linked to what was before," enquired a third user. The Grand Tour episode guide How many seasons of The Grand Tour are there and where do they take place? The Grand Tour launched on Prime Video in 2016 and quickly became one of the streamer's biggest hits as hosts Jeremy, 63, James, 60, and Richard, 52, felt it was time they move on from Top Gear hit the road. They have now brought five epic series of motoring adventures to the small screen, each taking place in different locations and even featuring celebrity guests. Series 1 Series 1 aired from 2016 to 2017 and took the presenters to a number of foreign locales, including Jordan, Morocco and Italy. The series is comprised of 13 episodes, with episodes 7 and 8 making up a two-part special set in Namibia, where the trio embarked on an epic beach buggy challenge. Series 2 Jeremy, Richard and James returned for more motoring actor in series 2, and drove their way across Europe as they tested out some of their dream vehicles like the Bugatti Chiron and the McLaren 720S. This series, which aired from 2017 to 2018, is made up of 11 episodes. It features regular 'studio segments' filmed in the team's permanent tent in the Cotswolds, and had regular participation from celebrities with two guests going head-to-head on timed laps every episode. Series 3 In 2019, the presenting trio crossed continents - from North America, to South America, to Europe and Asia - putting both new vehicles and classic sports cars through their paces. This series was the last to feature the regular studio segments, car reviews and timed laps. To mark the end of this era the final episode's last segment includes a montage of scenes featuring the presenters over the course of their career as a trio, not only from this programme, but also from their time hosting Top Gear. Series 4 This series marked a complete change in format for The Grand Tour as it consists entirely for feature-length specials which aired between 2019 and 2021. The first two chronicle Jeremy, Richard and James' epic adventures across Asia and Africa, while the third and fourth episodes saw them put foreign cars to the test on their home turf. And fitting American vehicles through Scottish roads is no easy feat. Series 5 Following the same format as series 4, the fifth and final series of The Grand Tour also consists of four feature-length specials. The first of these hits screens in 2022 and follows the trio as they travelled through Norway, Sweden and Finland in three Rally-Inspired Sports Saloons. The second episode was another Euro adventure while the third took the presenters back to Africa. The fourth instalment of the series and final ever episode of The Grand Tour, titled One for the Road, premieres on September 13, 2024. It promises to be an emotional one as the trio set out on one epic final adventure in Zimbabwe and reflect on their 22-year-long working relationship and friendship. While someone else exclaimed: "I mean what's the point the show was created for Jeremy, James and Richard." As a fifth noted: "The Grand Tour was created for Jeremy, Richard and James specifically. By all means have a new motoring show on your platform with these guys, nothing against them at all. But it would be better to just have it under a different name." A sixth fan said: "What a mess. Amazon might as well take all the money they'd be spending on this, put in a dumpster and set fire to it." They added: "An absolute waste of time and money." 8 Viral sensation Francis Bourgeois will join the pair for the new series Credit: Getty 8 Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond left the BBC and went to Amazon Prime to make The Grand Tour Credit: Free for editorial use 8 The infamous trio made five full series of the hit motoring show Credit: Getty 8 Their grand send off came with one last special episode in September 2024 Credit: PA
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
The Grand Tour fans threaten to boycott Amazon Prime hit as they fume over new line up after Clarkson and co quit
FANS of The Grand Tour have threatened to boycott the Amazon Prime hit series. Longtime viewers were left fuming over the new line-up after Jeremy Clarkson decided to quit the programme. 8 Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May will be replaced on their Amazon Prime show Credit: Getty 8 James Engelsman from the viral Throttle House YouTube channel will be one of the presenters Credit: iNSTAGRAM 8 His long-time co-star Thomas Holland will also form part of the new lineup Credit: Instagram After departing the BBC and leaving Top Gear behind in 2015, The Clarkson's Farm star teamed up again with his longtime colleagues. Alongside James May and Richard Hammond, he brought the on-screen band back together to make a different motoring show in 2016. The trio went on to front five full series of The Grand Tour, before airing one last special as a grand send off in September 2024. It marked the end of a 22-year-long collaboration between Jeremy, 65, James, 62, and Richard, 55. READ MORE ON JEREMY CLARKSON Now, it's been revealed that the series will continue on Amazon Prime but with new presenters leading the format. The duo will be joined by viral trainspotting personality, Most read in News TV A source previously told us: "Thomas and James are as knowledgeable about motors as Jeremy, Richard and James — the only difference is they're younger, cooler and a lot more social media savvy. "Francis became famous for his love of trainspotting and will be bringing his humour to the show." I shall miss this' says emotional Jeremy Clarkson in new trailer for The Grand Tour's epic final ever episode However, droves of fans have been left disappointed by the news as they flooded X, formerly known as Twitter with comments. One viewer posted: "I will watch a grand total of 0 episodes." A second stated: "Oh F**! What is the actual point? This will be a bigger disaster than Top Gear was." "The Grand Tour was created for Jeremy, Richard and James so this is feeling wrong. Why not give it a fresh new name and not linked to what was before," enquired a third user. The Grand Tour episode guide How many seasons of The Grand Tour are there and where do they take place? The Grand Tour launched on They have now brought five epic series of motoring adventures to the small screen, each taking place in different locations and even featuring celebrity guests. Series 1 Series 1 aired from 2016 to 2017 and took the presenters to a number of foreign locales, including Jordan, Morocco and Italy. The series is comprised of 13 episodes, with episodes 7 and 8 making up a two-part special set in Namibia, where the trio embarked on an epic beach buggy challenge. Series 2 Jeremy, Richard and James returned for more motoring actor in series 2, and drove their way across Europe as they tested out some of their dream vehicles like the Bugatti Chiron and the McLaren 720S. This series, which aired from 2017 to 2018, is made up of 11 episodes. It features regular 'studio segments' filmed in the team's permanent tent in the Cotswolds, and had regular participation from celebrities with two guests going head-to-head on timed laps every episode. Series 3 In 2019, the presenting trio crossed continents - from North America, to South America, to Europe and Asia - putting both new vehicles and classic sports cars through their paces. This series was the last to feature the regular studio segments, car reviews and timed laps. To mark the end of this era the final episode's last segment includes a montage of scenes featuring the presenters over the course of their career as a trio, not only from this programme, but also from their time hosting Top Gear. Series 4 This series marked a complete change in format for The Grand Tour as it consists entirely for feature-length specials which aired between 2019 and 2021. The first two chronicle Jeremy, Richard and James' epic adventures across Asia and Africa, while the third and fourth episodes saw them put foreign cars to the test on their home turf. And fitting American vehicles through Scottish roads is no easy feat. Series 5 Following the same format as series 4, the fifth and final series of The Grand Tour also consists of four feature-length specials. The first of these hits screens in 2022 and follows the trio as they travelled through Norway, Sweden and Finland in three Rally-Inspired Sports Saloons. The second episode was another Euro adventure while the third took the presenters back to Africa. The fourth instalment of the series and final ever episode of The Grand Tour, titled One for the Road, premieres on September 13, 2024. It promises to be an emotional one as the trio set out on one epic final adventure in Zimbabwe and reflect on their 22-year-long working relationship and friendship. While someone else exclaimed: "I mean what's the point the show was created for Jeremy, James and Richard." As a fifth noted: "The Grand Tour was created for Jeremy, Richard and James specifically. By all means have a new motoring show on your platform with these guys, nothing against them at all. But it would be better to just have it under a different name." A sixth fan said: "What a mess. Amazon might as well take all the money they'd be spending on this, put in a dumpster and set fire to it." They added: "An absolute waste of time and money." 8 Viral sensation Francis Bourgeois will join the pair for the new series Credit: Getty 8 Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond left the BBC and went to Amazon Prime to make The Grand Tour Credit: Free for editorial use 8 The infamous trio made five full series of the hit motoring show Credit: Getty 8 Their grand send off came with one last special episode in September 2024 Credit: PA 8 It marked the end of a 22-year partnership Credit: PA:Press Association
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jeremy Clarkson asks Piers Morgan for help 21 years after punching him
Jeremy Clarkson turns to Piers Morgan for advice when buying The Farmer's Dog pub on Clarkson's Farm, despite their previous feud. The farmer calls the ex-Good Morning Britain host his "dear friend for decades" when he comes to him for tips on being a pub landlord in episode five of the Prime Video series, released on Friday. Their disagreements have played out very publicly in the spotlight. It was headline news in 2004 when Clarkson punched Morgan at the British Press Awards. A decade later, Clarkson recalled the incident saying Morgan had written "unpleasant stories" about him and thought it was a "joke" which fuelled him to punch him three times. He wrote in The Times in 2014: "'Why's your f****** wife looking at me like that?' he [Morgan] thundered. So I punched him. And then I punched him again. And then I thought: 'You know what? I don't think this would ever get boring.' So I punched him again. And, annoyingly, broke my finger." In another incident on the very last flight of Concorde into London where Clarkson poured water over Morgan's crotch and then told journalists on the steps: " idiot's wet himself" Fast forward to now, they have made up and Clarkson asks Morgan for his help. The surprising scene plays out on the Prime Video series. The presenter explains he was reaching out to "various mates" to make sure he wasn't making a "big mistake" with the pub. In the voiceover, Clarkson says: "I started with a chap who has been a dear friend for decades." So it may surprise Clarkson's Farm viewers to find out this person is in fact Morgan. They video call one morning to catch up before Clarkson signs on the dotted line for The Farmer's Dog which at the time was known as The Windmill. "Morning is that you?" He says in episode five. "Have you got any advice?" And it turns out Morgan does have some good advice, having previously bought pub Hansom Cab on Earl's Court Road, Kensington, West London in 2010. Watch Clarkson's Farm season four trailer below The TV personality has a brutal warning for Clarkson about theft that happens at pubs. He tells him: "People steal stuff from pubs. Every publican will tell you. They'll nick the salt and pepper pots. They'll nick knives and forks. They might even nick plates. They'll nick any art they can rip off the walls." The journalist's words prove to be true as Clarkson has since spoken about the theft he has experienced at The Farmer's Dog. He revealed 104 glasses were stolen on one Sunday last year. In the new year, Clarkson unveiled a plan to tackle the thefts at The Farmer's Dog. Morgan isn't the only celebrity friend who gives Clarkson advice ahead of The Farmer's Dog opening in August last year. Singer James Blunt, who owns The Fox & Pheasant pub in London's Chelsea, had some words of warning too. He tells Clarkson in new scenes: "Obviously drink driving is an issue. In the countryside. That's why you want it in a central hub somewhere so there's a mass of people so they can walk home or people can easily get taxis home." Clarkson replies: "It's near no building of any sort. The nearest village is five miles away." Blunt makes light of the bad situation saying: "Maybe if you're lucky they'll relax the drink driving laws!" He also points out that there can be issues with staffing. Blunt adds: "Staffing is so tricky nowadays because people just don't want to work those kind of hours. It's hard work. Normally they're overseas labourers. So again, as long as Brexit doesn't go through you'll be fine as well." Film director Guy Ritchie, who owns pubs Lore of the Land in Fitzrovia and The Punchbowl in Mayfair, calls Clarkson to share some words of wisdom. He says: "You'll look at it. It looks like you're making £50k a week and then it transpires that you are losing £10k a week." And of course, Clarkson's long-time friend and former The Grand Tour co-host James May makes an appearance. May has had the pub The Royal Oak in the Wiltshire countryside for some time. His warning was all about the hidden costs. May says: "Energy costs. Staff costs. Ingredients costs. Building maintenance costs. Insurance costs. Accountancy costs. Lawn keeping costs. Re-thatching costs in my case. Gravelling costs. Mending the car park costs. Staff costs if I haven't said that already." Off-screen, May spoke about this moment to Yahoo UK in October 2024. "He did ask me [for advice] and I said 'don't do it if you're thinking of it as a business venture because you don't make any money,'" May told Yahoo UK. "I haven't talked to him about it recently but I got the impression that he was having quite a bit of trouble and losing quite a bit of money, which is how it tends to go, certainly to begin with. "But, I mean, he does have an advantage. He's got a big pub and a big car park, we're very strangled on our car park, and obviously he's a very popular bloke and people are very interested to go and try his pub, so if he can't make it work he's a bit of a f***wit really." Clarkson's Farm season four episodes five and six are now available to stream on Prime Video from Friday.
New Statesman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
How well do you know Jeremy Clarkson?
Photo by Amazon prime Jeremy Clarkson contains multitudes. On the rise in 2003 after rebooting Top Gear, he was on three packs of Marlboro Reds each day, and was already calculating how much life he could rip from the time left to him: '600,000 hours, and you're asleep for 200,000 of those…' Now, two decades on, ill health has brought him close to death – those cigs probably didn't help – and he is content not to remember what has been one of the starriest lives in modern Britain. 'I can't remember anything. My memory is shot.' He says he will never write an autobiography. Maybe Clarkson's Farm is as close as he will get. The question is whether, in this adored window to the autumn of his life, we are at last seeing a true Clarkson, or just the new entertaining elusion. It has been a career of remarkably protean creativity. Ambition and declension, the growling motorhead and the ruminant grandfather-farmer, have both been crafted into the two most popular television shows of their time. Clarkson rose to global superstardom writing and hosting Top Gear, and fresh episodes of Clarkson's Farm's fourth season arrive today. Finn McRedmond called Gary Lineker 'Britain's most talented man' in a snappy column last weekend, and we are used to hagiographies vaunting David Attenborough as the only man to win TV awards in the eras of black-and-white, colour and 3D. But Clarkson has proved himself the most sensitive reader of England's 21st-century soil and soul. And the most popular. Nigel Farage's bland turn on 2023's I'm A Celebrity prompted a general reflection that there is politics charisma, and there is TV charisma, and that the two are not necessarily the same. Boris Johnson, our most TV-ready leader, shone only as a panel show guest star. Clarkson – who has three million more X followers than Johnson – anchored 400 Top Gear episodes. To be an everyman without being a nothingman is quite something, man. Britain's love for Clarkson is a complex thing. The familiar refrain you hear is 'I can't believe these words are coming out my mouth, but I love Jeremy Clarkson now!' Superficially, it is easy to see why. On Clarkson's Farm, there are piglets. There's a girlfriend. There are sweeping shots of the countryside. Brexit, not Blair, is the irritant. And now Clarkson cries. Old fans insist the loveable side has been there all along, but this seems to be a greater transformation than switching from car to tractor. More even than during Top Gear, he shows us ourselves. But can he ever show us himself? Noughties Clarkson ran on a high-octane mix of denial, defiance and distraction. Where he commanded his own studio, column or publishing contract he urged commentators to the primordial: words like neanderthal, troglodyte, and ape were the aim and result of his vulgar lout-act. Across interviews, he insisted to absurdity on the preternatural painlessness of his life. He was fortunate. At one point he claimed that for him there was simply always a parking spot right outside his destination. 'I knew something would come along. Something always comes along. Well it does in my life anyway. Something always turns up.' Melancholy was flatly disallowed. Introducing one Desert Island Disc choice in 2003, he said 'You must never be in a bad mood, ever. And if you do ever find yourself slipping that way, go and dig out your old 45s, and put this on. … Pooft. On. Off. Out. Done. Happy.' Get out and get busy. At that time, Clarkson said, his life was 'hysterical'; fast lane in play as well as work. Ex-girlfriend Philippa Sage's The Wonderful World of Jeremy Clarkson relays the opportunities for fun that 'the big man' enjoyed. Rather than Hawksmoor lager in a public house, things are more espresso martini in a private member's club. Or something more glittery, indeed. At a private party on Mustique in the mid-2010s with 'many scuttling off to dark corners to inhale some special party magic', Sage finds herself dancing with Mick Jagger. In the summer of 2014, at a media soiree, David Cameron excuses himself from tequila shots to deal with Putin's designs on Crimea. Sage tries to humanise the 'blustering bombastic orangutan' with an image of him mewling to Supertramp's 'Hide In Your Shell' (lyrics include 'You're waiting for someone to understand you / You've got demons in your closet / And you're screaming out to stop it'). It doesn't quite work. But neither do the man's own attempts to humanise himself, such as the different accounts of his time at school. In the early Noughties, it was all about his expulsion, told as the flowering of a native mischief unwelcome at school but perfect for life. Then three months after his BBC firing, in a quiet car review, Clarkson described school days of being 'made to lick the lavatories clean' and 'all the usual humiliations that public school used back then to turn a small boy into a gibbering, sobbing suicidal wreck'. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe There is an odd moment in Piers Morgan's diaries where Clarkson tries to persuade Morgan not to run pictures of him kissing a woman in a car. He says 'I'm going to tell you something now. I'm not capable of having an affair. You can ask my wife. I'm not physically capable.' Whatever we make of that 'physically', there is a clear anomic trench running through Clarkson. In the first collection of his columns, you watch the byline dates creep through 2001, knowing that there is coming the century's great moment of unity, to which so many great writers lent their pen. Clarkson claims his writing as his central pride, and has read 'thousands' of books. But then the column five days after 9/11 is 'Learn from Your Kids and Chill Out Ibiza-Style'. The next is about going to the dentist. If he was ever going to stand for something, the perfect moment seemed to come in November last year. The government proposed farmer-bothering inheritance tax changes. Clarkson was freshly established as a people's hero. There were whispers of Downing Street. He led a march, and spoke on a podium, but the occasion was distracted by a spat with star BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire, who accused him of buying his farm only to avoid inheritance tax. He raged that the day wasn't about him, but in too many ways, it was. In another way, though, it could only have diminished Clarkson to become an empty populist. So much as fans feel he knows them, they do also feel that they know him. They respect him as a projection-resistant individual, and quite a gracefully defined one at that. He provides hours of pleasure to their screens while openly asking not to be approached in person. This year, he wrote about how he wanted to live longer so he could see his grandchildren grow up. 'I'm not going to dwell on the joys of being a grandparent because what can be said about it has already been said. But I have decided that it is so wonderful that I want it to go on for as long as is humanly possible.' Those 600,000 hours are running lower and lower. The least elusive facts about Jeremy Clarkson are that Top Gear was, and Clarkson's Farm is, great television. In a lot of ways, the best British television. There's a reason that friends of mine in their lowest lows watch YouTube compilations of Clarkson laughing. Weeping with him as piglets die is a national ritual. Our most sentimental cynic has turned 65, has smoked 10,000 cigarettes for each of those years, and has stents in his heart. When he dies, it will take quite a lot more than putting on a jaunty old 45 to make us happy again. [See also: Nigel Farage's political personality disorder] Related
