Latest news with #LakelandDairies
Irish Examiner
21 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: We need to eradicate TB for good
Tuberculosis in Ireland has had a tragic and unforgettable human cost, having taken as many as 10,000 lives a year in Dublin alone at one point, in between its epidemic years of 1880 to 1950. Poor housing, overcrowding, and starvation were the main reasons TB struck terror throughout the country, from the tenements of the capital city to the smallest rural communities. Up until the mid-1940s, when a vaccine capable of treating it finally emerged, it was a silent and deadly killer. While we eventually managed to contain the disease in humans, bovine TB later emerged and it has been claimed that the State has spent the equivalent of the cost of building the new National Children's Hospital — well over €2bn at the last count — to try to eradicate the disease. It has not worked yet — but it must. With efforts to stamp out bovine TB regarded as essential to securing Ireland's access to European and world markets for our beef products — and, by extension, also protecting farm incomes — the failure to eradicate it is as embarrassing as it is pressing. We know the recorded number of infected cattle hit a historic low in 2016 but has been rising steadily since. As well as animal health, the focus of the eradication plan is largely concerned with ensuring farmers have the requisite herd health status for access to export markets for both beef and milk. The Government has already acknowledged that disease levels are continuing to deteriorate and has admitted that compensation levels to farmers had reached €20m for the first four months of this year, the same outlay as was the case for the entirety of 2020. But the incidence rates are growing and not diminishing, despite tremendous efforts to try to quell the bovine TB tide. In the current programme for government, 2030 is set as the aspirational date for the final eradication of the disease from the national herd but, even working in collaboration with farmers and the agri-sector, that appears optimistic at this moment. As was pointed out to the Government recently by the chairman of Lakeland Dairies, Niall Matthews, this 'national scourge' shows no sign of abating. He said that some 3,200 farmers supply his company and every one of them faced a deteriorating scenario. He also asserted that Ireland appears to be 'further away' than ever from achieving the much-desired 'TB-free' status. With small rural communities and individual farmers across the country currently at their wits' end, the need to finally crack this problem has become imperative. Vatican warning on US populism As Donald Trump enthusiastically sent in the national guard to counter protests against his signature immigration policy, giving us some idea of his vision for a police state in America, a timely warning about the dangers of nationalist political movements came from the Vatican. In what was perhaps the first indication that Pope Leo XIV is intent on addressing the dangers of far-right populism during his papacy, the new pontiff criticised the 'exclusionary mindset' of many modern politicians, without directly pointing the finger at any individual. His timing — as Trump set his armed forces to work across Los Angeles — was pertinent and the fact he is American was perhaps not as coincidental as might be thought. But Pope Leo's request in Rome last Sunday that God 'open borders, break down walls, [and] dispel hatred' certainly hit the right chord in addressing populists. Before becoming Pope last month, Cardinal Robert Prevost was not shy about criticising Trump and shared several disapproving posts on X, admonishing the president and his running mate JD Vance. Back in January, he said Trump's plan to deport millions of migrants from the US was 'a disgrace' and he had previously said that Trump was not a Christian because of his view on immigration. 'A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges is not a Christian,' he said of Trump in 2016. While Pope Leo did not directly address the situation in LA, where Trump is ignoring the wishes of Democratic governor Gavin Newsome with the undoubted hope of provoking havoc in the deeply Democratic state, expressing his thoughts on nationalist politics is undoubtedly opportune. Bad publicity If Israel was hoping its grievous behaviour in Gaza could be sandblasted off the world's front pages or global news websites, its hijacking of the pro-Palestine Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship could not have had a worse outcome. Israeli forces stopped the Gaza-bound aid vessel Madleen and detained those on-board, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, yesterday morning. In doing so, Amnesty International said, it flouted international law and gave the flotilla's inhabitants the publicity they had sought in the first place. Voyage organisers had hoped to further highlight Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza and its restriction of humanitarian aid into the region where 2m people are facing famine conditions. They certainly achieved that aim. Ironically, they may also have achieved their aim of getting humanitarian aid to the stricken Palestinian people, as the Israelis said that while those arrested on what it described as 'the selfie boat' would be sent to their home countries, the aid supplies aboard the Madleen would be delivered to Gaza. Israel might have lost this PR battle, but it is telling that such a realisation pressured the authorities there to publicly state that the aid would be forwarded to those who need it. Perhaps it's not too much to hope that Israel now commits to enabling all such aid to through to Gaza to feed its starving inhabitants. Read More Irish Examiner view: Listening is an important precursor to change
Agriland
01-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Share Farming EIP set to launch in coming months
A new European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project focused on share farming as an effective generational renewal option is set to launch in the coming months. Over €300,000 has been allocated to the project developed by The Land Mobility Service, in conjunction with Teagasc, Succession Ireland, Macra, and Lakeland Dairies. It was among three new EIP projects on the theme of generational renewal to secure funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) and the EU earlier this year. Share Farming EIP The Share Farming EIP, which will run in the Lakeland Dairies catchment area, leverages the concept of share farming as an effective mechanism to bridge the gap between retiring landowners and aspiring young farmers. It aims to create opportunities while availing of existing environmentally compliant infrastructure, reduced financial outlay, relationship building, and asset and income security to deliver sustainable farm arrangements. Access to land has long been highlighted as a barrier to generational renewal. Land leasing and purchase favours established farmers and people with significant financial resources, including non-farmers. Patrick Brady, land mobility coordinator in Lakeland Dairies catchment area, told Agriland that it is hoped the new project will be rolled out over the coming months. 'It's a three-year project so we'll be looking for young trained farmers and landowners looking to retire or step back in order to participate in that project. We're starting hopefully from July onwards for three years,' he said. Agreement Share Farming is where two or more people come together to farm the same piece of ground. Both the landowner and share farmer will manage the farm jointly. The share farmer is responsible for farm operations and day-to-day management, with the landowner typically providing the land and infrastructure. The core objectives of the Share Farming EIP include: Establishing share farming agreements, involving young trained farmers and landowners; Providing comprehensive support to participants, covering farm and financial planning, communication, and sustainability practices; Demonstrating the benefits and scalability of share farming as a model for generational renewal. By the end of the project, participating young farmers will be operating as share farmers with the necessary skills and experience to operate independently. Meanwhile, retiring landowners will transition from active farming with confidence for the future of their land, according to the project team. There are a number of possible advantages of share farming, including: The landowner continues to be a farmer; The young person becomes a farmer as part of a good farm business with significantly less finance than would be the case with a lease or purchase; Share Farming requires a lower level of finance, equity and capital investment than land purchase or leasing. Also, existing infrastructure is fully utilised. This enables good farm care and performance; Both parties are separate from a tax and business perspective. The Share Farming EIP is aiming to address systemic challenges in Irish agriculture by introducing an innovative approach to land access and management. 'At its core, share farming involves two parties—a landowner and a young farmer—collaborating on farm operations while sharing responsibilities, risks, and rewards. 'This arrangement allows both parties to benefit, landowners can step back from daily operations while retaining income and oversight, and young farmers gain access to land and develop their farm business,' the project team said.
Agriland
28-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Maintaining mid-season protein and solids through grass quality
Grass quality and nutrition of the cow during the mid-season can be the main concern for farmers, as trying to hold peak milk production for as long as possible is crucial for the total solids produced/cow at the end of the season. It is fair to say that we have had an exceptional spring, which has allowed grass to be in the herd's diet from early on this year. Growth rates struggled early on but eventually surged around the middle of April. They have slightly slowed down again due to a lack of rain. In this changing weather, you can go from surplus of grass to a deficit within a matter of days, so keeping grass ahead of the cows while maintaining quality can sometimes be a struggle. With the recent soil moisture deficits around the country, the grass plant has gone through a phase of stress which has caused it to go to seed (reproductive phase) very quickly in many cases. This has meant that keeping quality in front of cows has been difficult. However, when the weather and growth rates are fluctuating, farmers should be walking the farm twice weekly so timely decisions can be made for either taking out surplus paddocks for bales or supplementing extra meal or silage in a surplus or deficit situation. Topping paddocks after grazing might be an option for many farms that are not in a position to take out paddocks but need to correct quality. This needs to be done immediately after grazing so that re-growths are not affected. Grazing poor quality grass is the biggest risk to milk production in the mid-season, which means farmers need to ensure they are grazing optimal covers throughout the summer months. Grass quality According to a Teagasc study, during the first 11 weeks post-calving, varying levels of nutrition affected both milk production of cows during the mid-season and throughout the entire lactation. The research showed why a cover of 1,400kg DM/ha was optimal for cow performance and health, regardless of the stocking rate. Cows receiving no concentrates and grazing 1,400kg DM/ha covers produced 23.9kg of milk compared to cows grazing a cover of 2,000kg DM/ha and being supplemented 6kg/head/day producing 23.7kg of milk. These covers were compared again, this time receiving 2kg/head/day of concentrate on each. The cows grazing 1,400kg DM/ha covers had an intake of 16.2kg of grass and produced 26.2kg of milk. The cows grazing the cover of 2,000kg DM/ha had a grass intake of 14.5kg and the cows produced 19.7kg of milk. Grazing covers of 1,400kg of DM/ha with 2kg of concentrates is seen as the best balance of cow performance, cow health and maximising the grass utilised out of the paddock. Protein In a recent Lakeland Dairies advice video, Lakeland Dairies/Teagasc joint programme adviser, Michael Monaghan highlighted that protein levels should be rising from the month of March right through until December. In relation to the border-midland-west region, Monaghan said: 'There's a major issue when it comes to mid-season protein as we are losing 0.2% in the month of June every year. He highlighted that with the current high growth rates, it is important that farmers are walking the farm every five days. The adviser said that this drop in protein is a result of farmers grazing covers over 1,500kg of DM/ha and if cows are not allocated enough grass, this will also cause an impact on protein levels. He also highlighted the importance of keeping the cover/livestock unit (LU) between 180 – 200kg DM/LU. Above these levels, Monaghan said: 'Farmers should remove any excess grass immediately in order to ensure that pre-grazing covers are still correct and we are maintaining protein levels on the farm.'
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Eradication of TB threat to Irish dairy exports `further away than ever`
The chairman of Lakeland Dairies has said Ireland appears 'further away than ever' from eradicating the 'national scourge' of bovine TB, a disease that threatens the viability of exports. Ongoing efforts to stamp the disease out are crucial to securing Ireland's access to European and world markets and, by extension, protecting farm incomes. Earlier this month it was claimed the equivalent of the cost of the national children's hospital has already been committed with an aspirational date for 2030 already set as Government policy for eradication. However, in a letter to Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon , Niall Matthews warned of the deteriorating situation faced by many of the 3,200 farming families supplying the co-op. READ MORE 'The emotional and financial turmoil associated with a TB breakdown in a farmer's herd is incredible,' he said. 'The annual routine of a herd going on test and the reading three days later brings worry, uncertainty and unimaginable stress. Unfortunately, we are seeing a worrying trend develop with TB incidence rates increasing. We appear further away than ever from the ambition of achieving a TB-free status.' [ Bovine TB Q&A: What is it and why is it increasing? Opens in new window ] Mr Matthews was writing to the Minister to invite him to next month's Milk Quality Awards and took the opportunity to raise a number of key issues including the protection of the nitrates derogation and generational renewal in the farming sector, a 'real area of concern'. Bovine TB rates reached a historic low in 2016 but have been rising since . As well as animal health, the eradication programme in Ireland is chiefly concerned with ensuring farmers have the requisite herd health status for access to export markets for both beef and milk. 'We're at a critically low level of housing stock' for buyers and renters Listen | 33:06 In the Dáil this month, Mr Heydon acknowledged that disease levels had continued to deteriorate. Compensation to farmers reached €20 million in the first four months of this year, compared to the same outlay for the entirety of 2020. Sinn Féin agriculture spokesman Martin Kenny said the current estimated cost of the national children's hospital – well over €2 billion – had already been committed in attempts to eliminate the disease, largely without success. The Programme for Government includes a review and update of the National TB 2030 Eradication Strategy in collaboration with farmers and industry. The cost of the current eradication programme has escalated considerably in recent years, with previous official estimates rising to a total expenditure of about €1 billion by 2030.
Agriland
20-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Lakeland Dairies launches Young Farmer Programme
Lakeland Dairies has today (Tuesday, May 20) announced the launch of its new Young Farmer Programme aimed at supporting and developing the next generation of farmers within its supplier base. The Young Farmer Programme is open to Lakeland Dairies milk suppliers and adult family members of suppliers who are under the age of 35. The programme has been designed to deepen participants' understanding of their cooperative, while equipping them with the practical knowledge and leadership skills necessary to play an active role in its future. As part of the programme, young farmers will receive insights into the working of co-ops in key areas such as financial literacy, farm succession and inheritance planning. There are also modules on growing the understanding of how global dairy markets operate as well as getting an understanding of the operational elements of dairy processing. There will also be on-farm knowledge transfer opportunities to promote the sharing of best practices. Participants will benefit from discounted input products through Lakeland Dairies' Agribusiness division, which the co-op has said ensures both an educational and practical support package. Lakeland Dairies is the second largest dairy cooperative on the island of Ireland with 3,200 suppliers producing 2 billion litres of high-quality milk annually. This milk is used to produce over 240 products which are distributed to over 100 global markets. The co-op has said that the Young Farmer Programme is a clear commitment to promote sustainable farming practices and long-term viability within the dairy sector, ensuring that its members, current and future, continue to thrive together. Commenting on the Young Farmer Programme, Lakeland Dairies chairperson Niall Matthews said: 'We are pleased to launch this innovative initiative, which reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting generational renewal within our own co-op as well as across the entire sector. 'This programme is about more than just education; it represents an investment in the future of our co-op empowering the next generation of leaders with the tools and confidence to shape its direction. 'Lakeland Dairies has been in existence for nearly 130 years and by supporting initiatives such as our new Young Farmer Programme, we want to ensure that we are strong co-op with committed farm families for another 130 years.' Manager of Lakeland Dairies Member Relations, Eamon Duignan encouraged those interested to apply: 'I strongly encourage all eligible suppliers and family members to take part in this very exciting and well-designed programme. 'It is the latest in a series of initiatives introduced by Lakeland Dairies to support our young farmers, and it reflects our dedication to their long-term success and involvement.'
