While in attendance at the Sommet de l’Élevage agricultural show which took place in France earlier this month, Agriland met a French-based machinery importer who is sourcing slurry systems built in Co. Armagh.

Luc Jeannerot is the boss of the French machinery importer Agro Jeannerot which is based near Switzerland in a region known as Franche-Comté.

He explained he first saw the slurry-systems which are built in Co. Armagh at the National Ploughing Championships and saw an opportunity for the machinery in the French market.

Speaking to Agriland, Luc said: “I buy SlurryKat equipment and sell it to French dealers. We then go out to the farm to set up the machines along with the farmer.”

He explained that the umbilical slurry-spreading system in France was “not that popular” but noted that biogas companies in France have growing volumes of slurry to spread and said “the umbilical system is the best way to increase output”.

“I first discovered SlurryKat at the National Ploughing Championships in Ireland. I said ‘this is something we need to introduce in France’.”

He said that most slurry is spread by tankers in France due to fields being “dispersed” but believes that with growing farm sizes and expanding biogas companies, the umbilical systems will be more common in the future.

Also at the stand was the SlurryKat European sales manager, Niall O’Neill who said the product is gaining traction in the French market now because of “forward vision”.

He explained that from 2025 onwards, the spreading of slurry with splash-plates will be phased out in France and the future of the slurry-system market in France will be for low emission slurry spreading (LESS).

Luc said the umbilical LESS systems can handle “big volumes of slurry” with trucks bringing slurry to the field and an umbilical system spreading in the field.

Niall said that machinery cooperatives known as CUMAs have a strong influence and that the company has been working to raise awareness of its range in these cooperatives.

SlurryKat is based outside Portadown in Co. Armagh and Luc said that machinery produced on the island of Ireland is associated with being “heavy duty” in the French market due to the tough conditions in Ireland.

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As part of the farm-tours section of the Sommet de l’Élevage livestock show which took place in France earlier this month, Agriland travelled to a dairy farm that is milking 250 Alpine goats, located to the north of Clermont Ferrand.

The farm is owned by Carole Neyrial who is the sole employee of the 40ha enterprise. The goat’s milk is sold for cheese processing.

The current milk price is 90c/L (78p/L) but milk prices generally vary from €0.80-1.00/L (70p/L-87p/L).

The price paid depends on both markets and milk constituents. Milk is stored in a cooler tank and is collected by the processor every second day.

Carole explained that prices tend to be higher during the winter months which is why she has selected this system.

Goats are milk recorded and the average production is 860L/goat milking from September to June. Some of the top-performing goats are producing in excess of 1,000L/year.

The average fat content of the milk produced on the farm is 4.17% and the average protein content is 3.54%.

Goats are fed grass and clover silage as well as lucerne hay and meadow hay. The concentrate ration includes ingredients such as maize, bran, soya pulp, sainfoin and extruded linseed.

Goats kid from September onwards and milking continues until June with goats dried-off for July and August.

Breeding generally commences in April and every year, 50 of the top-performing goats are selected for breeding with artificial insemination (AI) and the remainder are served naturally with the use of 10 Alpine bucks.

Goats kid at 12 months-of-age and enter the milking herd then. When giving birth, goats can produce anywhere from 2-5 kids generally.

The AI-bred female kids are used as replacements. The AI-bred male kids are used for breeding also and the remainder of the kids are sold for either meat production or to other dairy herds for replacements.

Goats are seasonal breeders and naturally come into season when the daylight hours become shorter. Because of this, the breeding herd is kept in a shed where the lighting is controlled.

The shed used is a converted pig shed with open plan pens and a straw-bedded floor. The milking parlour is located to the rear of the shed.

Goats are milked twice-a-day and the milking parlour is a 24-24 rapid exit BouMatic goat-milking parlour with automatic cluster removers (ACRs).

Goats enter the parlour from the side and receive concentrate feed which is delivered through an auger system.

Once milking is complete, the front of the parlour lifts up and the goats can then exit.

There is no shortage of machinery on the farm (see images below).

The farm is located 250m above sea level and has a sandy-loam soil type. The farm generally receives an annual rainfall of 650mm.

Land in the region trades at €4,000/ha (£3,5000/ha) approximately.

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The 2023 World Food Forum (WFF), which is taking place in Rome, Italy, this week, has highlighted how improving soil health and avoiding soil degradation can help address food insecurity and environmental challenges.

The WFF‘s science and information forum met today (Thursday, October 19) to discuss how new technologies for soil and water management can help to tackle and adapt to climate change.

The forum, which is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), showcased field examples, strategies, and management options in integrated and water management that have a direct impact on the livelihoods of small and medium holder farmers and their communities around the world.

Speaking at the forum, FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said: “We need to develop and strengthen integrated information systems to address pressing multisectoral challenges, which should be available to all, especially to farmers who are the custodians of our natural resources, as well as their final controllers.”

The forum heard that soil degradation, loss of water quality, and water scarcity are on the rise globally, limiting access to fertile and productive soils and water resources and contributing to food and nutrition insecurity.

Among the solutions highlighted at the science and innovation forum were innovations in re-carbonising soils, improving soil health, and enhancing water use efficiency.

As well as that, the forum discussed strategies for promoting integrated governance of natural resources and managing water scarcity, with the aim of strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems.

According to the FAO, average global crop yields could increase by 80% with more efficient water use, judicious fertiliser use, reduced pesticide use, and improvements in soil health.

The forum called for integrated, “climate-smart” land, soil, and water management technologies and practices, saying these are essential for improving efficiency and enhancing water and land productivity.

The forum also drew attention to the need for sustainable management of ecosystems in source areas and upper catchments, such as mountains, grasslands, and forests, which are deemed to be vital for ensuring a reliable and healthy water supply.

The forum called for governance actions to support innovative technologies like precision agriculture, remote sensing, and data analytics, which could enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of integrated soil and water management.

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Over 120 farmers were in attendance at Foyle Food Group’s annual Autumn Nutrition Event which was held at the Foyle ‘Farm of Excellence’ in Co. Tyrone on Friday, October 6.

Foyle suppliers from across Ulster were in attendance at the event which featured talks from Andrew Clarke, Foyle Food Group, Gareth Anderson, FarmGate Nutrition and Jennifer Howse, who spoke on the importance of mental health in farmers.

The event featured a tour of the farm where areas of research were highlighted and the most recent developments were on show.

Research is ongoing on the farm examining methods of improving efficiency, reducing input costs, and improving animal welfare whilst also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Andrew Clarke said: “Foyle supports knowledge transfer partnerships with our suppliers and these events encourage positive discussions about future beef farming practices.”

Brushes and Bokashi

Cattle brushes have been found to be a key driver of performance on the Foyle farm. Findings have shown 0.2kg/head/day live weight gain in trials conducted on Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Similar trials are planned to go ahead later in the year to potentially assess the cause of this increased performance.

‘Bokashi’, was also a topic of interest at the farm walk. This involves adding a microorganism mixture into bedding and ensiling it for eight weeks once it is mucked out, creating an anaerobic environment.

This manure management strategy is used on the farm to break down organic matter, making it more suitable for land application.

Energy and carbon are retained in the bokashi end product, stimulating soil microbiology, improving soil fertility and preventing carbon loss as CO2.

Infrastructure

Farmers were taken to Foyle’s newly-built cattle shed, the design of which demonstrates a high level of animal welfare.

Maximum levels of natural light are captured to facilitate the evaporation of moisture from the soft-bedded lye-back area, reducing bedding costs.

Other features include polycarbonate roof sheeting, mono-pitch design, open sides and an automatic climate control curtain.

Collectively these contribute to maintaining a consistent environment for cattle, minimising the incidence of respiratory disease and reducing energy costs.

An automatic slurry aeration system within the tank maintains slurry in a semi-liquid state for use when required.

This removes the need for mixing slurry benefitting staff safety and minimises disturbance to cattle.

Staff safety is a major area of focus in the new handling facilities at the farm which were completed in 2022.

There are exit points in every pen, eliminating the need for staff to go inside the pen with cattle at any point.

Also, the layout meets the company’s commitments to improving animal welfare. There are anti-jump rails, anti-backing bars, a double race which merges into single file, auto drafting technology and grooved concrete flooring.

Additionally, the ‘budbox design’ obeys natural behavioural principles, encouraging animals to go back to where they came from and go around the handler.

Feed Bunks

The farm has adopted a feed-bunk management system which it says is useful in their aim of feeding cattle to peak intake and meeting the focus of maximising feed efficiency.

Andrew Clarke explained that “This theory has originated from research conducted by the South Dakota University. They have found that finishing beef cattle should be fed to 99% of their maximum dry matter intake to ensure optimal performance.

“Also, the quantity of feed provided to cattle must match the amount the animals can consume without causing digestive upsets.

“Following feeding, bunkers are assessed based on the residual feed remaining. A score of 0-0.5 is ideal, or as little feed remaining as possible.”

Feeding regimes at the Foyle farm are kept consistent daily, with each feed being provided at the same time in the morning and evening.

Feed is also pushed up in the early afternoon to drive intakes and increase cattle performance.

Genetics programme

Andrew Clarke, lead farm liaison at Foyle Food Group, addressed the audience on current work the company is undertaking in its Superior Genetics Programme in collaboration with Aberdeen Angus Quality Beef.

The programme encourages suppliers to use bulls of high genetic merit as the benefits have been demonstrated with Foyle’s own bull, ‘Elliot Bravo’.

Trials with this sire have found reductions in finishing age by 40 days. Using top sires for traits such as 200 or 400-day weights has the potential to improve progeny weight by approximately 18.5kg without considering any other management tools.

Nutrition

Gareth Anderson from FarmGate nutrition spoke to the audience on the total mixed ration used on the finishing farm.

The guidelines he discussed for finishing diets included:

• A target dry matter intake (DMI) of 2% body weight;
• High energy dense diets of around 12MJ/kg DM, starch;
• Sugar inclusion of >20%;
• Crude protein between 12-14%;
• Fibre content of >25%.

Gareth emphasised the principle of higher dry matter intake correlating with higher liveweight gain.

Aspects of good practice were highlighted, such as good pit-face management, regular forage analysis, consistent mixing and access to clean water.

Gareth explained several different sources of starch and sugars, protein, fibre as well as alternative feed additives including Elensis.

He said this product improves daily liveweight gain and has methane-reducing properties, as trialled on the Foyle farm.

He finished with talking through examples of beef blends which are appropriate for the autumn period.

Mental Health

Jennifer Howse, a PhD student from the Royal Agricultural University and previous agricultural liaison at Foyle Food Group addressed the importance of mental health in the red meat sector.

This message included advice on how farmers can think about positive ways to approach the challenges they face within farming and managing their business.

She emphasised the importance of aiming to tackle the initial struggles or signs of mental ill-health before they begin to build up.

Jennifer also discussed the isolation farmers can often feel and encouraged the audience to talk and reach out if they are struggling.

She offered ‘5-a-day checklist’ for farmers and those in the farming community:

• 1: Be honest with yourself and those around you;
• 2: Talk openly about daily challenges and listen;
• 3: Care for yourself as well as you care for others;
• 4: Contact that person you’ve been saying you should;
• 5: Plan for the unexpected – make the right choices.

Donations were received following the talks for Rural Support, a local listening and signpost service for farmers and farming families across Northern Ireland.

The event closed with a barbeque and steaks were provided by Foyle Food Group.

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Based near Newtownards, Co. Down, is Gareth Corrie, who is well known amongst commercial show cattle enthusiasts across both Ireland and the UK.

Agriland paid a visit to Corrie’s farm, Drumhilla Farm in Co. Down, ahead of the its special sale of 85 in-calf heifers which is set to take place at Ballymena Livestock Mart on Tuesday, October 17, at 7:00p.m.

As well as supplying heifers to farmers across Northern Ireland and further afield, Corrie is also involved in a syndicate known as J.C.B Commercials which is well known for sourcing top-end commercial cattle genetics.

“All heifers in the sale are in calf to a Limousin bull,” he said.

“The majority of the heifers in the sale are scanned in-calf to Ampertaine Lance and are due to calve in the first week of January.

“The remaining heifers are scanned in-calf to a range of stockbulls including bulls sired by Lance, Majestic, and Lodge Hamlet.”

This is the seventh year of the sale and Corrie said that his main focus for the heifers on offer in each sale is “to supply customers with high-end suckler cow replacements”.

“What I look for is heifers with good plates, a good top-loin, good bone and a bit of power about them,” he said.

“The sale has proven itself in offering cows fit to produce top-end weanlings.

“At last year’s sale, two heifers were bought by Strangford farmer William Kelly which went on to produce calves that were the two top-two priced calves in Saintfield suck calf sales this year selling for £3,000 and £1,740/head.

“It’s great to see our heifers are doing the business for repeat costumers.”

The Corrie Leading Ladies sale will kick off at 7:00p.m and the catalogue is available to view on the MartEye app.

“All cattle will be eligible for export in the sale and all heifers have been tested BVD (bovine viral diarrhoea) negative. These heifers are due to calve from January 5, onwards, and have been naturally run. They have not been pushed on concentrate feeding,” Corrie added.

“If you are a new customer of Ballymena Livestock Market, please make sure you pre-register with the venue ahead of the Leading Ladies Sale.”

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Chickens that had their genes edited to alter protein-producing DNA received partial protection from avian influenza (bird flu), new research has shown.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, and the Pirbright Institute (an animal disease research Centre in Surry) were able to restrict – though not completely block – the virus from infecting chickens by altering a small section of their DNA.

The birds showed no signs that the change in their DNA had any impact on their health or well-being.

The University of Edinburgh said that the findings – published this week – are “an encouraging step forward”. However, the researchers emphasised that further gene edits would be needed to produce a chicken population which cannot be infected by bird flu.

The scientists bred the chickens using gene-editing techniques to alter the section of DNA responsible for producing the protein ANP32A. During an infection, flu viruses use this protein molecule to replicate.

When the gene-edited chickens were exposed to a normal dose of the H9N2-UDL strain of avian influenza, nine out of 10 birds remained uninfected and there was no spread to other chickens.

The research team then exposed the gene-edited birds to an artificially high dose of the virus. When exposed to the higher dose, five out of 10 birds became infected.

However, even in those gene-infected birds that were infected, the amount of virus found in them was lower than the level typically seen during infection in non-gene-edited chickens.

The gene edit also helped to limit further spread of the virus to just one of four non-gene-edited chickens placed in the same incubator, while there was no transmission to other gene-edited chickens.

The virus was able to receive some level of penetration in the infected birds because it found two other proteins to assist in its replication.

For that reason, the ANP32A gene edit, on its own, does not offer enough protection for use in the production of chickens, according to the research team.

The team also carried out tests on lab-grown chicken cells to edit additional sections of DNA that produced ANP32A as well as the other two proteins the virus was using.

When this was done, growth of the virus in laboratory cell cultures was successfully blocked in cells with the three gene edits.

The next step, according to researchers, will be to try to develop chickens with edits to all three genes.

Commenting on the research, the study’s principal investigator, Prof. Mike McGrew from the University of Edinburgh, said: “Bird flu is a great threat to bird populations. Vaccination against the virus poses a number of challenges, with significant practical and cost issues associated with vaccine deployment.

“Gene-editing offers a promising route towards permanent disease resistance, which could be passed down through generations, protecting poultry and reducing the risks to humans and wild birds.

“Our work shows that stopping the spread of avian influenza in chickens will need several simultaneous genetic changes,” Prof. McGrew added.

Prof. Wendy Barclay, from Imperial College London, commented: “Although we haven’t yet got the perfect combination of gene edits to take this approach into the field, the results have told us a lot about how influenza virus functions inside the infected cell and how to slow its replication.”

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The estimated loss of crops and livestock in the last 30 years is said to be worth $3.8 trillion according to the the Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The loss is averaged to be worth 5% of annual global agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) equivalent to $123 billion per year.

FAO released a report titled ‘The impact of disasters on agriculture and food security ‘ which has revealed an estimation for the effect of disasters on agriculture production.

It highlights the need for improving data on the impact of disasters on all subsectors of agriculture to create data systems that can serve as the base, where effective action can be constructed.

The report also indicates that losses related to major agricultural products are showing an increasing trend.

Loss of crops and livestock – FAO

The FAO report revealed the disasters on lower middle income countries affected 15% of their total GDP, inflicting the highest relative losses on them.

The disasters also affected small Island Developing States (SIDS), losing almost 7% of their GDP.

The loss of cereals in the last three decades, amounted to an average of 69 million tonnes per year. According to the report that loss is corresponding to the entire cereal production of France in 2021.

Fruits and vegetables and sugar crops underwent a near average loss of 40 million tonnes per year.

There was an average estimated loss of 16 million tonnes per year for meats, dairy products and eggs, which corresponded to the whole production of meats, dairy products and eggs in Mexico and India in 2021.

Director-General QU Dongyu of FAO stated: “Agriculture is one of the most highly exposed and vulnerable sectors in the context of disaster risk, given its profound dependence on natural resources and climate conditions.

“Recurrent disasters have the potential to erode gains in food security and undermine the sustainability of agri-food systems.”

He added that the publication, showcases a chance to address risks to the agricultural food systems.

It added that losses were higher in high-income countries, lower-middle-income countries and upper-middle-income countries, but low-income countries, and especially SIDS, suffered the highest incidence of losses in agricultural added value.

The most vulnerable farmers in the agri-food systems are smallholding farmers.

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Imports of all ruminant livestock from France to the UK have been postponed, according to the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

A document published on the Defra website dated October 4, 2023, outlines that the “trade of live ruminants from France is postponed as they [France] are no longer able to comply with relevant animal health certificates”.

The postponement of ruminant livestock imports comes following the confirmation of Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in France.

On September 21, the presence of EHD was officially reported in France. Since then, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty (MASA) has confirmed a total of 19 outbreaks of EHD, primarily in Pyrenees-Atlantiques and neighbouring municipalities.

As of October 4 of this year, the EU Animal Diseases Information System (ADIS) has reported 50 new outbreaks in Spain and 17 in Portugal.

According to Defra, the confirmation of EHD in southern France “is significant because now that EHD has crossed the Pyrenees mountains, there is greater potential for spread across mainland Europe towards Great Britain”.

The UK’s Defra considers the risk of introduction of EHD into Great Britain via movement of
live animals and/or vectors to be “negligible” but said in a statement it will “continue to monitor the situation”.

There have been consignments of live cattle and sheep scheduled to arrive in Great
Britain from France in recent weeks but Defra has confirmed that back-tracing is being conducted to identify any consignments of live ruminants and ruminant germplasm from France over the past 28 days.

Meanwhile in Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has urged farmers, veterinary practitioners and other relevant stakeholders to “remain vigilant” for EHD following the confirmation of the disease on three farms in France.

As a result of the EHD outbreak in southern France, a number of French cattle were unable to attend the French livestock show, Sommet de l’Elevage, last week due to concerns surrounding the virus.

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Anuga is one of the year’s biggest food and beverages trade shows, attracting more than 170,000 trade buyers from 187 countries. It takes place in Cologne, Germany.

AHDB and the government have organised dairy pavilion stand at the two-day event, where Kevin Hollinrake MP, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), met with exporters yesterday (Monday, October 9).

He also attended the AHDB stand in the British Meat Pavilion, which includes dedicated meeting areas and features high-end dishes for visitors to sample quality meat and dairy products sustainably produced by British farmers.

Addressing around 300 key industry stakeholders at the AHDB British Meat Dinner, Minister Kevin Hollinrake said: “Across the UK, our agriculture, food and drink sectors help create thousands of well-paid jobs and grow our economy.

“I’m delighted to be here at Anuga, and to meet with UK businesses selling their products around the world.

“The UK is home to world-class food and drink and this government is committed to supporting our producers and manufacturers as they look to expand further into the overseas market.”

Dr. Phil Hadley, AHDB’s director of international trade development, added: “We are excited to host the minister at our largest stand this year. AHDB’s participation aligns with the Government’s commitment to support British food and drink exports.

“We are committed to delivering on our objectives as outlined in our export strategy– Beyond Borders and helping to attract international markets for our levy payers.

“Through the trade show, we are able to strengthen existing partnerships and establish new connections for our levy payers as stated in our export campaign.”

AHDB said Anuga is ” the ideal platform for exporters to connect with international buyers, build new relationships, and expand their presence in the global market”.

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Ian Stanley Boyd, (56) of Pomeroy Road, Dungannon, pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him at Dungannon Court yesterday (Monday, October 9).

He was fined £1,500 plus a £15 offender levy.

The case arose following Boyd’s refusal to present his animals for TB testing when requested.

This is in contravention of Article 3(2)(b) of the Tuberculosis (Examination and Testing) Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 1999, contrary to Article 52(1) of the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

Animal testing of all herds in Northern Ireland for TB is mandatory.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has said that the control of bovine TB is dependent on identifying reactor animals at these tests.

Failure to present animals for tests, it said, undermines efforts by both farmers and the department to reduce the incidence of the disease.

Court

In related news, a farm company in Co. Armagh was recently convicted for transporting an animal that was not fit for journey.

Killyfaddy Farms Ltd., of Killyfaddy Road, was fined £300 plus a £15 offender levy for one charge of transporting an animal which was not fit for the journey.

This is contrary to Regulation 5(1)(a) of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 and Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005.

The case arose when a DAERA official veterinarian at an abattoir examined an animal presented for slaughter.

The cow had a large, swollen, left fetlock joint with swelling extending down the hoof. The cow was hesitant to move and when it did it was unsteady on its feet.

The vet concluded that it was suffering from a longstanding condition and was not fit for transportation.

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The resilience project also aims to raise awareness among farmers of not only climate risks, but also business opportunities for farmers in Northern Ireland.

Adaption techniques include avoiding over tillage of seedbeds to protect topsoil and assessment of soil PH.

For adaption in hot weather conditions, it is recommended to provide enough ventilation in livestock housing,

Adapting management practices is also important to benefit from long growing seasons and warming temperatures, different sowing/harvesting dates, crop diversification and rotation are also recommended for adaption in farms.

As there is often a loss of biodiversity, it is recommended to introduce new species better suited to future climate conditions and which is more resilient to pests and diseases.

Agriculture in NI

One of Northern Ireland’s most important industries is agriculture. Over 26,000 active businesses, such as small farms, use 75% of the land in Northern Ireland.

According to NIEL, climate change is already being seen and experienced first hand amongst the agriculture sector.

The group has said that there are a number of key threats from climate change on the industry, emphasising that it is important for farm businesses to be able to adapt to the consequences of climate change.

These include droughts and incidences of new pests and diseases, increased flooding, loss of biodiversity which leads to poor animal health and affects crop health; this can lead to financial loss from poor food production.

Northern Ireland is expected to have “increased intensity in extreme weather events, wetter winters and hotter drier summers”.

The Rural Resilience Project puts a lot of focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions i.e., climate mitigation, but the project also acknowledges that climate adaption is just as important so that farm businesses can “actively prepare”.

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Killyfaddy Farms Ltd., was convicted and fined £300 plus £15 offender levy for one charge of transporting an animal which was not fit for the journey.

This is contrary to Regulation 5(1)(a) of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 and Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005.

Court case

The case arose when a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) official veterinarian at an abattoir examined an animal presented for slaughter.

The cow had a large swollen left fetlock joint with swelling extending down the hoof. The cow was hesitant to move and when she did was unsteady on her feet.

The vet stated that, in her opinion, the animal was suffering from a longstanding condition which, given the inability to balance properly or place her foot directly on the ground, meant that this animal was caused unnecessary suffering by transporting her.

DAERA said it gives high priority to the welfare of animals and operates a vigorous enforcement policy to ensure full compliance of regulatory requirements.

Any breaches are investigated thoroughly and offenders prosecuted as necessary, it said.

Northern Ireland animal welfare legislation also requires that animals must be fit to travel and must be cared for if they fall ill or are injured during transport.

The animals must be accompanied by competent persons and must be transported to their destinations without undue delay.

All those who have animals in their care either on farm, in transit or at slaughter have a duty of care to look after the animals’ welfare.

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53-year-old Stephen Donald of Carrick Road, Loughbrickland, pleaded guilty at Newry Magistrates Court and was subsequently fined £700 plus a £15 offender levy.

His case arose following a cattle inspection of his herd by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) welfare and enforcement officers.

According to DAERA, breaches of the Cattle Identification Regulations “weaken and undermine” the cattle traceability system in Northern Ireland – including the “integrity” of the department’s Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS). 

Cattle movements, notified to the department, are recorded on to the APHIS database, which is in the process of being replaced by the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS).

The NIFAIS is being launched in two stages; the first stage went live at the beginning of September but the next phase won’t go live until 2024.

This first stage includes keeper registration and tag suppliers; bovine disease tracing; import and export; valuations; AFIB milk functionality; IRM; cattle identity inspections; residues; VPHP; and farm quality assurance.

A reduced APHIS remains available for other species and will be supported until NIFAIS stage two is successfully delivered. 

However, a report has suggested that the 2024 launch date might be delayed considering that the September 2023 launch date was.

According to the report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office, in total, the NIFAIS is more than five years behind schedule – and cost approximately £17 million more than what was initially estimated.

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Glastry Farm is a specialised dairy farm which extends to 247ac owned, as well as a further 190ac leased at Kircubbin, on the Ards Peninsula of Co. Down.   

The farming enterprise is run by Gareth and Liz Taylor, the sixth generation of Taylors on this farm, dates back to 1856 and was originally 58ac.

The seventh generation, Amy, Isla and Tom take an interest in the farming activities but are at this point, of school age.

Will Taylor is the fifth generation. He takes care of the Glastry Farm ice cream side of the business, having diversified in 2004. He says things are going well, but that a lot of effort goes into that.

“We have a rainfall of 28-30in (850mm) year-on-year with all grass/clover leys, 45ac of forage maize and 15-20ac of winter wheat,” he said.

“This is the base ration for our pedigree dairy herd and ensures that there is a reseeding policy built into the system.

“The 300-cow pedigree dairy herd is the engine that drives the farm, it has been self-contained for a generation.

“The only outside purchase is an Aberdeen Angus bull every third/fourth year as a heifer ‘sweeper bull’ with an exemplary health background,” he added.

“This is mostly because the region has 18% of herds under TB restrictions with all the associated cashflow implications plus the possible loss of a lifetime of breeding endeavour.”

Genetics and yield at Glastry Farm

The current herd genetic gain in the black and white breed is rapid over the past decade and more so at Glastry, where the milk recording, according to the National Milk Records (NMR) report for August 12, 2023, showed the rolling average milk yield was 10,632kg.

Perhaps more significantly, the rolling average for fat is quite spectacular in that it is 4.72% fat and 3.41% protein.

“That would be very much ahead of the pack in terms of the Northern Ireland or Irish average in terms of both volume and in terms of components,” he added.

So, how does that come about?

“We have almost 80% of the herd in excellent (EX) or very good (VG) status and genomic data on the females, as well as sires that are being used, to improve rapidly our genetic gain and herd performance,” Will continued.

“There is a very clear relationship between the genetic potential of the herd and the efficient use of inputs, particularly, feed.

“We need to bring super management allied with superb nutrition to these high-performance animals to benefit from their genetic potential 365 days a year. Would the Red Bull team fill an F1 racing car with paraffin to cheapen the running costs in a Grand Prix race?

“Yet, we continually do that in times of drought, poor grass availability, wet or monsoon periods and adverse conditions, yet we don’t react quickly and lose productivity as a result.”

The Taylors feel they have addressed the ‘ethical timebomb’ of dairy farming in Ireland by using sexed semen on the quartile of the herd with most genetic potential, so only pure black and white heifer calves are born on farm.

The rest of the herd are inseminated with Aberdeen Angus semen. The resulting calves are moved directly at six weeks to the ABP Angus rearing scheme on an approved farm.

Environment

Will Taylor said that the environment is also an important concern in how they farm.

“We take our environmental obligations seriously, as dairy farming is in the spotlight in terms of pollution of our lakes and waterways, with increasing legislation heading our way and derogations of what we do and how we conform becoming more stringent,” he said.

“We are part of the first tranche of farms that have been part of the Soil Nutrient Management Scheme in Co. Down.

“All our fields have been sampled and readings for lime requirements, phosphorous, potassium and sulphur for the expected crops for the next three years tabulated.”

“This exercise has saved us several thousand euro already in year one, and in a period of high fertiliser prices, science has overcome the blanket excess of nutrients being applied,” he added.

Will explained that they have completed a carbon audit of the farm.

“Our bottom line result for 2023 is 1.23kg/L of milk produced, which is a barometer of input efficiency on this dairy farm,” he said.

Brexit

Will said there has not been much impact on their farm from Brexit.

“In terms of the farm, the impact has been minimal. Inputs have obviously increased dramatically in particular because of the Ukraine war; the price of fertiliser and feed have risen dramatically,” he said.

“Brexit, farm-wise, has had a minimal effect but I think the farming community as a group who voted very resoundingly, as I understand it, to come out of the European Union, I think they are now finding that they have been very much misled.

“The great yonder of much less bureaucracy and being in charge of their own well-being really hasn’t happened and in actual fact, farms, including our own here at Glastry, have a much heavier burden or bureaucracy and statutory farm visits than they have had previously.”

Will says the key to their success lies in running the farm and the ice cream/sorbet businesses alongside each other.

“That is the secret of what is a very integrated business to keep both sides of it continuing being profitable which is obviously the ultimate sustainability benchmark and without that input from my son and daughter-in-law, this business would not continue in the way it is at the moment,” he said.

“We believe that our 150 years of farming this land is a testament to our sustainability in all its forms and we will continue to use science to underpin all that we do in the future,” he added.

The post Dairy Focus: Economic and environmental sustainability at Glastry Farm appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The incidence of BVD at animal level in the past year has been particularly high in Armagh – twice Northern Ireland’s average – according to Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI).

In the last six months, the Armagh Divisional Veterinary Officer (DVO) area has had the greatest number of outbreaks in dairy herds, while the Enniskillen DVO area has seen the highest number of beef herds affected.

Across all herd types, Armagh and Newry DVOs combined have had approximately one third of the total outbreaks in Northern Ireland in this period, AHWNI added.

More recently, several herds within close proximity have been affected in the BT60 postcode area in the Armagh, Hamiltonsbawn, Markethill and Lisnadill areas.

AHWNI is issuing BVD Alert text messaged to farmers in the significantly affected postcodes.

It is also encouraging farmers to take action by preventing livestock contact at boundaries with neighboring cattle. This can be do via grazing management or with the help of fencing.

BVD incidinces can at times also be linked to new stock, so AHWNI is encouraging farmers to ask sellers about herds’ BVD history – including when BVD positive cattle were removed.

Owners of cattle that do not have a BVD status are also being encouraged to test these cattle as soon as possible, to establish whether they are infected with the virus.

BVD positive cattle shed enormous amounts of virus and present a significant risk to other cattle on their holding as well as to cattle on neighbouring premises, so their prompt identification and removal is key to control.

A thorough cleaning and disinfection of areas that could be contaminated with the virus is another key measure that will help to achieve the goal of eradication of BVD.

The post Armagh, Newry and Enniskillen ‘hotspots’ for BVD – AHWNI appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The PSNI has confirmed that a green John Deere tractor and Red Rock 3500 gallon slurry tanker were stolen from a yard at an address in the Carra Road area.

Police have appealed to anyone who was in the area at the time or saw any suspicious activity to contact them.

Agricultural crimes

A recent survey has highlighted that rural crime cost Northern Ireland £2.5 million in 2002 – which was a year on year increase of 51%.

According to NFU Mutual criminals are targeting agricultural vehicles and machinery in Northern Ireland.

Martin Malone, NFU Mutual manager for Northern Ireland, has warned that highly-organised gangs “are causing disruption to farming and widespread concern to people who live and work in the countryside”.

PSNI

In general the PSNI have said that there has been “an overall downwards trend” in agricultural crime since 2010 and 2011.

However in the 12 month period from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 there was a total of 237 agricultural crimes recorded in Northern Ireland – up by 48 on the previous 12 months.

According to the PSNI “97% of agricultural crime was identified as occurring in rural settlement areas”.

Over the 12 months to June 30, 2023 burglary and robbery represented 26% of agricultural crime, while theft represented 74% the PSNI stated.

The highest level of agriculture crime was “seen” around Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon followed by Newry, Mourne and Down and then Fermanagh and Omagh.

Meanwhile the PSNI has said that anyone who has information about the recent theft of the tractor and slurry tanker in Newtownbutler – estimated to have occurred between 8 p.m. on Sunday 17 September, and Monday morning, September 18 – can contact them either online or by calling 101 quoting reference number 396 18/09/23.

The post PSNI appeal for information about farm theft in Fermanagh appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A nine-year-old girl has died in a crash involving a tractor and a trailer in Scotland, police have said.

The girl was on a bicycle when the crash happened on Castle Place, New Cumnock yesterday afternoon (Monday, September 18), Police Scotland added.

She was pronounced dead on the scene.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.35p.m on Monday, September 18, 2023, we received a report of a crash involving a tractor towing a trailer and a nine-year-old female on her bicycle on Castle Place, New Cumnock.

“Emergency services attended but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”

The post 9-year-old girl killed in tractor crash in Scotland appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

By Barbara Collins

Alan and Wendy Dempster breed sheep on their 50ac farm near Ballymoney in Co. Antrim. It is a fourth-generation, family-owned farm where they rear and breed 120 sheep.

The breeds are Suffolk and Texel crosses which they say make a good carcass. They are “hoping to work with Dutch Spotted lamb; it is very trendy at the moment, and we are interested to see what kind of meat they will produce”, Wendy said.

“My husband is a part-time sheep farmer. The sheep were housed for lambing in March, but they have now swapped to lambing outside in April because they think it is healthier. The dream is for him to go full-time.”

Wendy herself is a fairly recent recruit to farming. “My introduction to farming really happened during [the Covid-19] lockdown,” she explained.

“I had lived on the farm for about eight years with my husband and daughter but was really only ever involved at the weekends as I commuted to my accountancy job in Belfast all week.

“During the pandemic I was furloughed and started getting more hands on. It gave me a real appreciation for the work and dedication that goes into producing the high standard of lamb.”

Wendy started her own flock from orphaned lambs during the pandemic lockdown, bottle feeding six times a day to begin with.

“I was determined to learn the process from start to finish. Naively I named them: Snow White; Princess Fiona; Darcy; Missy; Harriett… you get the idea. These are some of the mothers to the Farm Quality Assured, grass-fed lambs which we now rear.

“The first lamb being born into my flock was extremely special to me and I love having the opportunity to be innovative in a hugely male dominated sector.

“It is small milestones that make my job in agri worth it. E.g., when I had an aged farmer from down the road tell me he had heard about my concoction for bloated lambs and could I make him up some?”

Diversifying from the sheep enterprise

Prices at the mart or the factory rarely pass £5.00/kg, with the average being £4.50/kg, so Alan and Wendy decided to diversify.

“After having the costs involved highlighted, we realised we needed to increase the value of our lambs to make sheep farming viable and the way to do so was to showcase the great quality of the product in a way to appeal to a larger market,” Wendy continued.

“We wanted to add value to our meat. I was interested in looking at different remedies. I love a wee bit of charcuterie and cheeseboard and that’s where the idea for lamb ham came from. There was nothing out there.

“I was on everything you could read or watch on how to cure lamb. It took a few months and a few mistakes but three months, takes about two weeks to cure. I use wet rather than dry cure because it’s quicker.”

She says some of her market research involved making dinner. 

“I held a few shepherdess suppers and got people to try it and the feedback was great. They were the first people ever to get to taste it. We had review cards and all but one said the lamb ham was the highlight of the evening for them,” Wendy said.

They converted a horsebox into a mobile kitchen and worked with the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Cookstown, Co.Tyrone to develop recipes. Since then, their business plan has evolved.

“The initial plan was to take our lamb to events and sell from our upcycled horsebox called the ‘Lamb Van’ at farmers’ markets and events. but we have since organically expanded into retail.

Lamb ham

So, is lamb a hard sell?

“It is seen as a special occasion meat, so the challenge was to get people to see its health benefits. People have this mistaken idea that lamb meat is very fatty, but it is actually a good type of fat,” Wendy explained.

She said that making and selling hand-held snacks is working for them.

“We hook them in with our lamb sausage rolls and burgers and then they come back for more,” she added.

“On the second day at an event, a young boy came to buy a lamb burger with the money his dad had gave him because he had loved the one he got the day before. That melted my heart. I sent him home with a few for his freezer.

“A few weeks later at an agricultural show he came back with his dad and brothers so they all could have burgers. Things like that make all the hard work worth it.

“Adding extra value to our lambs will hopefully make it possible for Alan to farm full-time. This is a driving factor for us,” Wendy said.

“I served my time as an electrician,” Alan added. “I always kept a few sheep. I knew from an early age where my passion lay. Sheep farming was in my blood.

“It is extremely hard to make sheep farming viable, especially with the ever-increasing costs involved.

“By increasing the value of the end product from the farm, I hope to make the transition to full-time. Time will tell,” Alan concluded.

The post Focus: Adding value to a sheep enterprise with ‘lamb ham’ appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Plants and seeds had not been moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit. However, they are now resuming, as set out in the post-Brexit trade agreements for the UK – the Windsor Framework.

“Under the Windsor Framework, plants and seeds can once again move easily within the UK, ending restrictions that hampered consumer choice and damaged business,” a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed.

“This includes removing the prohibition on the movement of seed potatoes on October 1, and we will work with industry to ensure plant and seed movement schemes are as beneficial as possible.”

The Windsor Framework also establishes temporary arrangements for the “flow” of agrifood to Northern Ireland. The movement of the agrifood will be on a sustainable basis. The retail movement scheme will replaced in October which will be available to more traders.

Although this is in place, seeds and plants can only be sold to consumers by professional operators in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

There is already a Plant Passport for movement within Great Britain. This scheme will be adapted to make clear that plants are for the UK only and confirm eligibility for movements in the UK including Northern Ireland.

This will allow plants to move without certification, with goods able to move with an industry-issued plant label in line with other intra-UK movements.

This new internal market scheme “will expand the range of business able to benefit from the new arrangements provided to protect internal UK movements”. This will involve the removal of EU tariffs.

This new “green lane arrangements” reinforcement is part of the new retail movement scheme for agrifood retail products whilst protecting UK movement from the inside.

The movement of all goods from Great Britain to Ireland will begin in September 2024 and the movement of medicine to Northern Ireland will commence in September 2025.

The post Exports of Scottish seed potatoes to NI to resume in October appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Among these will be representatives from the agriculture and agri-business sectors.

These include: Alexander Kinnear, parliamentary officer at Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU); Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability, British Retail Consortium (BRC); and Peter Hardwick, trade policy advisor, British Meat Processors Association (BMPA).

Ahead of the meeting this afternoon Agriland spoke to Alexander Kinnear, who said he will be tabling the issue of livestock movements and veterinary medicines – two issues the UFU has been highlighting since the Windsor Framework was announced.

“We’ve been rounding the corner with veterinary medicines many times, the problem is well rehearsed,” Kinnear said.

“You know, over 50% of product will be discontinued at the end of the current period if there’s not a permanent solution found, and we want to bring that to the attention of the House and Lords.”

Livestock movements

Kinnear will also be addressing the issue of livestock movements to the Lords.

“The Windsor Framework does not enter even to speak about livestock movement,” he told Agriland.

In particular he wants to highlight movement from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and back again. “This is really a concern” he said, “we want to see it resolved”.

“Because of Brexit and because Great Britain is now a third country in terms of Europe, we can’t bring our animals over there decide not to sell them and bring them back without a six-month delay,” he said.

“Speaking with marts in Scotland in particular, the requirements are so onerous and over the top that the trade originally that happened before Brexit hasn’t gone back to levels; that trade is completely collapsed and that will be to the detriment of farms in Northern Ireland,” he contended.

Peter Hardwick from BMPA will also be presenting a full argument to the Lords this afternoon, highlighting what the BMPA describes as the “odd” situation whereby it will be more complicated for British companies sending goods to Northern Ireland than it is for companies in some third countries to export goods to the UK.

“This has come about because the new Windsor Framework will launch on October 1, and require British companies to use special ‘Not for EU’ labelling along with a more cumbersome system for certification and checking goods,” the BMPA said.

“Given that these kinds of checks will continue to be completely waived for goods coming from the EU into the UK, it will soon be harder to move products around within the United Kingdom that it will be to bring goods over from Europe.”

Windsor Framework

The Windsor Framework has replaced the Northern Ireland Protocol as the EU and UK’s post-Brexit agreement on the issue of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Changes are looming for agri-businesses at present; one of these is that from October 1, repacked meat and fresh milk will be individually labelled as ‘not for EU’ when moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Also addressing the House of Lords today on how preparations for the Windsor Framework are going is: Stuart Anderson, head of public affairs at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mark Tait, director at Target Transport; and Michelle Riddalls, chief executive, PAGB, the consumer healthcare association.

The Lords will also be seeking evidence to assess government guidance on adhering to the framework.

The first meeting will kick off at 3:15p.m and will be available to watch live or on demand on UK Parliament TV.

The post UFU to address livestock movements in Windsor Framework at House of Lords appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

A train carrying 40 passengers and a tractor collided at a level crossing earlier today (Tuesday, September 5), British Transport Police (BTP) Lancashire has said.

BTP Lancashire were notified about the incident, which occurred on the Ormskirk Line near Lostock Hall railway station, at 10:22a.m.

No injuries have been reported and after inspection, the train was able to continue.

“Officers attended the scene and thankfully there were no reported injuries. Enquiries into the incident are ongoing,” BTP Lancashire said in a statement.

All lines have since reopened.

“Disruption caused by a collision at a level crossing earlier today between Preston and Ormskirk has now ended,” National Rail has confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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For Barry Fitzsimon’s Bawnforth Herd, a change to Beef Shorthorn cattle came about as a result of his desire to ease workload and ensure a sustainable business for future generations.

He said: “We were running a herd of Continental-cross sucklers and while they were delivering great carcasses, there were a number of issues which were hindering the business.

“Principle among those was fertility and an ever-increasing calving interval. Added to this, we were struggling to finish bullocks at much under-30-months of age on our largely grass-based system and that meant extra costs on the business with cattle being on-farm longer than we wanted.”

Since introducing Shorthorn genetics, cattle are usually finished by 24 months from the 45-cow suckler herd run by Barry with help of his son, Craig and grandson, Tom.

“As a spring-calving herd that means we don’t have them here for a third summer at grass and that’s a significant improvement, meaning we can shut grass up for silage sooner and make better quality forage,” Barry said.

“It also means we can, potentially, carry a few more cows on the same acreage, making for a more efficient herd.”

Bawnforth Herd key performance indictor (KPI) data:

• Top 25% Northern Ireland calving interval – 372 days, reduced from in excess of 400;
• Top 25% Northern Ireland age at slaughter – most cattle finished at 24-25 months, down from 29-30 months for bullocks;
• All cattle meeting spec for Glenarm Beef Shorthorn scheme – 10% premium on standard DW price;
• 15 cattle slaughtered Feb-May 2023 averaged 332.8kg carcass weight at an average age of 23 months. The youngest was 17 months old and the oldest 26 months old;
• 15 cattle slaughtered Feb-May 2023 averaged £1,664.13/head after deductions;
• Now running three cows for every two carried when herd was Continental breeding.

“With government policy ultimately pushing towards lowering carbon outputs in farming, increasing suckler herd efficiency has to be high up the list,” the farmer added.

“A compact calving period, with a short calving interval is central to this, as is running a herd that thrives in a forage-based system, with minimal bought-in feed.”

Finishing cattle are fed some meal to put the final cover on them, but for Barry’ cattle the amount is much less than would have been the case with the continental-cross cattle.

“They simply don’t need as much meal to finish and that’s both a cost saving and an environmental benefit,” the farmer said.

Benchmarking with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland (DAERA) has proven the benefits with the herd in the top 25% of Northern Irish benchmarked herds for both age at slaughter and calving interval.

“But it’s not just the herd’s performance which has improved, so too has temperament and ease of working. The cows are quiet, calm cows which are a pleasure to work with,” Barry said.

The Northern Ireland Beef Shorthorn Club’s open day will be held at Mr Fitzsimons’ Bawnforth herd, Ballynahinch, Co. Down, on Saturday, September 9, and all are welcome to attend.

The post NI open day set to showcase Shorthorn-cross suckler herd appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The incident happened in the Creeveroe Road area of the county.

Police received a report of the incident on August 19, and the Dog Warden received a report on August 22.

The type of dog involved in the attack is unknown; there have been no reports of strays in the area and there are no witnesses.

In Northern Ireland, it is a criminal offence to allow a dog on any land containing livestock unless the dog is under control – which is defined as “restrained by a chain or other sufficient leash held by a person exercising proper control over the dog”.

The Dog (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 also stated that if a dog worries sheep (attacks or kills sheep or chases them in a way that may cause injury, suffering or financial loss to their owner) the person in charge of that dog is guilty of an offence. The penalty for this offence is a fine of up to £1,000.

NFU Mutual estimates that farm animals worth £165,000 were severely injured or killed by dogs in Northern Ireland last year.

Across the UK as a whole, it estimates £1.8 million worth of farm animals were killed or injured by dogs in 2022.

Earlier today, Agriland UK reported on a livestock worrying incident in Wales, whereby four pregnant cows died following a suspected dog chase.

As a result of being chased, the cows fell down a steep embankment and sustained “catastrophic injuries”, Welsh police said.

“This incident will result in a significant financial loss to the farmer as well as the emotional impact of finding his stock in such terrible circumstances,” police added.

The post Lambs ‘mauled’ in Armagh dog attack – PSNI appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Firefighters from East Sussex and West Sussex are working to put out a tractor fire on the A22, Forest Row.

Emergency services were called to the tractor fire around 3:00p.m. East Sussex Fire and Rescue said the tractor was “well alight carrying 20t of hay”.

It is using “firefighting foam” to extinguish the fire, as well as four breathing apparatus wearers and two hose reel jets.

The A22, Lewes Road, Forest Row road has been closed and is anticipated to remain this way for considerable time, the fire service said.

“Please avoid the area,” it added.

No casualties have been reported and police are also in attendance at the scene.

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Yesterday (Tuesday, August 15), the Animal Agriculture Water Quality Subcommittee of the EPA announced that it had denied the petitions, which asked it to revise a set of regulations under clean water laws.

These regulations fall under the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) programme, part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

The two petitions were submitted to the EPA in 2017 and 2022. In October 2022, the agency agreed to a court-approved deadline to respond to the 2017 petition.

That petition requested that the EPA address several issues around farm operator permitting, by increasing the number of operators covered by the rules, enhancing monitoring of compliance, and improving nutrient management plans.

Instead of granting the petitions, the EPA announced that it will conduct a "comprehensive evaluation" of the CAFOs programme, which would take into account the issues raised in the petitions.

As part of the evaluation, the agency will carry out a "detailed study" of CAFOs effluent limitation guidelines, as well as establishing a new federal (national) advisory committee under the existing EPA subcommittee that deals with farms, ranches and rural communities.

The EPA said that this new advisory committee will include "a diverse range" of stakeholders, which will "help to inform the EPA's efforts to improve its CAFOs programme".

The agency also said that a "comprehensive evaluation is essential before determining whether any regulatory revisions are necessary or appropriate".

"The EPA is committed to working with stakeholders, advocates, communities, and industry to explore how to achieve water quality improvements related to CAFOs," an EPA statement added.

Responding to the EPA's decision, Food and Water Watch, one of the key groups behind the 2017 petition, said the EPA decision was "deeply flawed" and "amounts to yet more delay".

The group's legal director, Tarah Heinzen, commented: "The lack of urgency displayed in the EPA's decision doubled down on the agency's failure to protect our water, and those who rely on it."

Heinzen said that Food and Water Watch would be considering options on how to proceed in response to the EPA's denial of the petition, adding: "The fight to safeguard clean water is far from over."

The post US EPA denies petitions to tighten ‘factory farm’ water quality rules appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) released a report last week on whether changes were needed to the country’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) as it relates to the beef and lamb sectors.

It follows the closing of a consultation the New Zealand government ran on the design and functioning of its ETS.

The B+LNZ-commissioned report highlighted concern with the current ETS model over the scale at which whole farms are being sold for forestry, while impeding farmers’ ability to diversify through forestry.

Sam McIvor, B+LNZ’s chief executive, commented: “B+LNZ has long argued that action needs to address the scale and pace of whole farms being sold into forestry as a result of the increasing carbon price and the resulting effects on rural communities.

He added: “Many farmers also see opportunities to grow their income from carbon revenue from on-farm planting as part of diversifying their farm systems, so there needs to be a balance found in the policy settings.

The report said that a combination of short-term and long term changes are needed to New Zealand’s ETS.

Particularly, the report calls for changes to the ‘permanent’ category of the ETS, as it can be more quickly reformed and, without limits placed on planting, this could be a category that drives significant land-use change to the ETS.

“One of the main changes to the permanent category of the ETS [the report] proposes is excluding exotic plantings except in certain circumstances. It notes that, in future, however, further changes to the ETS that target other categories are likely to be required,” McIvor said.

According to the B+LNZ chief executive, the report is “another example of growing consensus on the need for policy changes to address the issue of wholesale land-use change”.

“The scale and pace of land use change we are currently seeing is far more than what is recommended by the Climate Change Commission and will have a negative impact on rural communities, food production and export income, which affects all New Zealanders,” he commented.

The beef and lamb promotion body is also concerned with the current rules regarding the use of forestry to offset fossil fuel emissions.

McIvor said: “New Zealand is one of the only countries in the world that allows fossil fuel emitters to offset 100% of their emissions.

He added: “Forestry offsets are a key component of a scheme designed to enable our country to meet emissions-reduction targets set in legislation. But they are a tool that must be managed in a way that enables sustainable and equitable social, economic, and environmental outcomes for generations to come.”

The post New Zealand: Concern over ‘whole farms’ being sold into forestry appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Auctioneer John Doyle described the overall trade on the day as “very strong, with exceptional demand from commercial breeders”. Breeding rams, he added, were of “excellent quality”.

Judging was in the hands of Alastair Barclay of the Blackbrae Flock in Northern Ireland, while commercial breeders Michael and Ger Murphy were on hand to judge the Gigot Ram class.

It was in a championship of exceptional quality that Barclay tapped out a ram lamb from the Annakisha flock of Arthur and Patrick O’Keefe from near Mallow, Co. Cork.

The January 2023-born ram lamb was sired by the Reserve Champion from the NI Premier in 2022 Blackbrae AB President out of an Annakisha ewe.

This stylish lamb had previously won the Open Ram Class and the Male Championship before claiming the title of Supreme Champion.

2023 has proved to be a very successful year for this lamb as he had previously won the Champion Ram Lamb spot at the National Suffolk Championships in Gurteen in June.

The quality of this lamb came to the fore when he was eventually knocked down under Doyle’s hammer for €20,000 and sold to the Cairness Flock of Jimmy Douglas in Scotland.

Other top prices

Taking Reserve Champion on the day was Andrew and Jonathan Lucas’ lamb from the Finnvale Flock.

Their lamb Finnvale BFG had been sired by last year’s Champion, Finnvale Am the Man, who they had retained.

The ram had won the Best Lamb sired by a South of Ireland ram earlier in the day before claiming Reserve Male and Reserve Champion of the Show.

He went on to sell in the ring to the Burnview Flock of William and Stephanie Tait, Northern Ireland for €2,600, while the Finnvale pen overall averaged €1,695, with Am the Man lambs selling to an average of €2,067/head.

A Cairnton Chaos-sired lamb out of a Solwaybank Ewe, owned by Alan Kilpatrick of the Convoy flock in Donegal, claimed the second-highest price of the day for a strong, stylish lamb which also found a home in Northern Ireland.

Other top prices on the day included a Crewelands Dancing Brave ET lamb from the pen of JJ and Martin Doherty, Malinhead, Co. Donegal.

This was a Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) eligible lamb which sold to a fellow South of Ireland Breeder for €2,300. Also selling well on the day was another of the Doherty’s lambs which had placed first in the Pen of Three Class and was knocked down at €2,100.

The winner of the novice class was a very correct lamb from the Cronebane pen of local man, Gus Doyle.

He had beaten off stiff competition from PJ McMonagle’s Forkins Masterplan lamb which sold at €2,200. This novice winner, sired by Donbraid Assassin, went on to sell to a Donegal pedigree breeder, also for €2,200.

There was a number of other lambs sold at the €2,200 mark which included a Kells T-rex sired lamb from the Ballygarris pen of Michael and Marie Jennings in Mayo, and two rams from the Finnvale pen sired by Salopian Pure Gold and Finnvale Am the Man.

The Shearling Ram Class was won by Philip Byrne of the Limepark Flock with his Muirton One Direction Ram which later went on to sell to a commercial buyer for €900.

Female Suffolk classes

The female classes commenced with the Shearling Ewe Class, which saw local breeder John and Esther Gahan claim the top spot with a stylish Lakeview Del Boy-sired Gimmer.

She had fought off stiff competition from two Cairness Our Bucks sired gimmers from the Lismurtagh and Loughrynn Flocks who had been placed second and third respectively.

While these two females remained unsold, the Champion Shearling was knocked down at €1,150 in the ring.

The Suffolk ewe lamb class was a very stylish affair and was tightly contended. Taking top honours from the judge was the Mountford flock of Oliver and Adrienne Deane’s January-born lamb, sired by Ballinatone Al Capone from a Mountford ewe.

This lamb was eventually sold to a pedigree breeder in the west of Ireland. Placed second in her class, Philip Lynch’s Clyda Awesome-bred lamb sold for €820 while the third-placed, January-born lamb from the Milldam Flock of Shane Brady and sired by Cairnton Chaos also sold for €820.

In the final lineup in the Female Championship, it was the Mountford ewe lamb that proved to be the judge’s favourite as she claimed the top honours as Female Champion with Philip Lynch’s Glyde Ewe Lamb claiming the Reserve Female Champion spot.

Suffolk show and sale

With a clearance rate of 85% – well increased from the 2022 rate – it was clear to see that the excellent quality of stock on offer, encouraged buyers to purchase.

The pedigree average price at the sale came in at €2,628 with the commercial average price hitting €804 – up 16% on the previous year’s trade.

While there were no exports to Europe from the sale, there were a significant number of animals exported to Northern Ireland directly from the sale.

Despite the huge demand , there were prices to suit all pockets, with SIS-eligible Suffolk rams being purchased from €500, which made for an extremely brisk trade at the Blessington sale.

The clearance rate was 85% on ram lambs with 70% of the lambs sold headed into the commercial sector – up 20% on 2022.

The Young Handler Class was well supported with first place going to Isabella Taylor, Ballynacannon Flock, second place going to Paddy McMonagle with his own Beltanyview flock, recently founded with his brother Tommy, and third place to Millie Donald from Donbraid Suffolks.

The remaining Society Sales for 2023 will take place in Cahir on September 1; Carnew on September 6; Ballina on October 3; and Raphoe on October 6.

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The event is sponsored by Norbrook, and conducted by Carlisle auctioneers Harrison and Hetherington, in conjunction with JA McClelland and Sons.

The sale has attracted an entry of 41 Limousin females from many of the province’s leading herds.

Included in the catalogue is a selection of pedigree Limousin females ranging in age from March 2021-born to December 2022-born.

All entries have been individually selected on-farm by Harrison and Hetherington’s pedigree beef sales manager and auctioneer James Little.

Speaking ahead of the event, Little said: “After last year’s record-breaking 50th anniversary sale, I was delighted to receive instructions to conduct the forthcoming sale, in conjunction with JA McClelland and Sons.

“The 2022 sale saw some real show-stoppers, and this year’s offering is no exception.

“The entire catalogue provides purchasers with the opportunity to acquire some of the very best genetics in the breed,” he added.

“There are some real stars on offer, and the mix of cow makers and show types, ensures breeding females to suit every taste and budget.

“Cattle from Northern Ireland are renowned for their quality and depth of breeding, regularly featuring in the upper echelons of premier sales throughout the UK and Ireland. The Ladies in Red Sale promises to be a fantastic event, and one not to be missed by discerning pedigree cattle enthusiasts,” he said.

All females will be inspected by a vet prior to the auction, and will be sold under the auspices of the National Beef Association and the British Limousin Cattle Society.

Entries will be pre-sale tested and eligible for immediate export to Great Britain following the sale, or to the Republic of Ireland by arrangement with the vendor.

Judging gets underway at 10:00a.m, and will be left in the capable hands of Mary Cormack, owner of the noted Rougemont herd based in Leominster, Hereford.

The sale will commence at 1:00p.m and online bidding will also be available via MartEye.

Prospective buyers are advised to contact the auctioneers for online bidding approval prior to the sale.

The full-colour catalogue, which includes photographs of the heifers on offer, features entries from 17 herds, including:

• Ampertaine (5);
• Backfarm;
• Carrickaldreen (2);
• Charlottes;
• Collegeland (2);
• Craigatoke (3);
• Doogary;
• Glenmarshal (5);
• Huntley;
• Keadyview;
• Keenaught, Lynderg (5);
• Larkhill;
• Moneydarragh;
• Rathkeeland (5);
• Slieve (2);
• Trueman (4).

Many of the breed’s sought-after and proven bloodlines are represented in the catalogue. The heifers selling are daughters of successful stockbulls and highly acclaimed artificial insemination (AI) sires.

“This is a new sale in the club’s annual calendar, and the organising committee is excited to present a high-calibre catalogue, representing the cream of Northern Ireland’s Limousin genetics,” Northern Ireland Limousin Club chair, Brian McAuley said.

“Vendors have been working hard in preparation for August 19, and we are looking forward to welcoming breeders from across the UK and Ireland.

“Thanks also to our principal sponsor Norbrook, for its generous financial support,” he added.

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This means that farmers can expect to receive their share of this year’s total funding (£293,527,012) in less that four weeks’ time.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said this will be welcome news to many at a time when cashflow is “extremely tight”.

“We welcome the news that DAERA are working to release BPS payments to farmers across Northern Ireland in a matter of weeks,” UFU president David Brown said.

“Farmers have faced significant financial pressure this summer with the added complexity of the weather and the wettest July on record, which makes the BPS more important than ever.”

Brown urged DAERA to do all it can to “ensure the majority of farm businesses get paid during the first week of September as planned”.

“The BPS will be critical in helping to sustain farm businesses as they continue to produce high-quality food for consumers,” he said.

BPS payments were issued early to farmers in England on August 1, this year, to help with summer cashflow.

BPS

The BPS is the largest area-based scheme available to farmers in Northern Ireland. Farmers need to submit a Single Application every year to apply for the scheme, and be farming at least 3ha of land, and hold an equivalent number of BPS Entitlements.

I.e., if you are farming 10ha of eligible land you must hold at least 10 entitlements.

Entitlements can be inherited, leased or bought (transfer of entitlements), or applied for via the ‘Regional Reserve’.

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A five-year-old boy from Folkestone, Kent, has died following an accident understood to have involved a quad bike in the west of Ireland on Sunday (August 6).

Irish police (Gardaí) and emergency services were called to the scene of the incident which took place on private property, near Castlegregory, Co. Kerry.

It is understood that five-year-old George Francis Freddie Davenport and his family were visiting relatives in the area on holidays.

The child later passed away from his injuries.

He is survived by his parents, Laura and David, and siblings, Cian, Jake and Ellie-Rose.

In a statement to Agriland, Gardaí confirmed that a family liaison officer has been appointed to support the family at this time.

They appealed to the media to give the family privacy, adding that no further information is being made available at this time.

Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has confirmed to Agriland that it has been informed of the incident and has launched an investigation.

George Francis Freddie Davenport’s funeral notice said he will be “badly missed” by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family, relatives and friends.

He will be reposing at Liscarney, Cloghane, in Ireland, on Wednesday (August 9) from 2:00p.m to 9:00p.m.

A book of condolences has been opened on RIP.ie.

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The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Minnesota.

It examined the nutritional content of over 200 plant-based milk alternative products being sold in the US in 2023, significantly more than have been included in similar studies up to now.

The findings indicated that only 12% of the products studied had levels of calcium, vitamin D, and protein comparable to cow’s milk.

The findings were presented at Nutrition 2023 – the annual conference of the American Society for Nutrition, which was held last week in Boston, Massachusetts – by Prof. Abigail Johnson, assistant professor and director of the Nutrition Coordinating Center at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health.

Prof. Johnson commented: “Our results provide evidence that many plant-based milk alternatives are not nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk.”

Studying milk alternatives

The study included nutrition information labels and ingredient information for 233 plant-based milk alternative products, across 23 manufacturers.

For each product, the researchers used a nutrient calculation programme to estimate nutritional value.

The products were grouped according to their plant constituent, such as almond, oat, or soya, with the products in each group being compared to each other and to cow’s milk.

Just 28 of the 233 products were found to have similar or higher levels of calcium, vitamin D, and protein compared to dairy milk.

Almost two thirds of the products included in the study were made from almonds, oats, or soya.

The study found that 76% of the oat-based products, 69% of the soya-based products, and 66% of the almond-based products were fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

For protein, the median content across all studied products was 2g/240ml of liquid, less than the 8g/240ml found in cow’s milk, with a wide variation in protein content also noted, ranging from 0g/240ml to 12g/240ml.

Only 16% of the products (38 out of 233) had a protein level greater than or equal to the amount of protein found in cow’s milk.

Prof. Johnson commented: “Our findings point to a need to ensure that consumers are aware that many plant-based milk alternative products in the marketplace today are not nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk.

“Product labelling requirements and dietary guidance to the public are among the approaches that may be helpful in alerting and educating consumers,” she added.

The researchers involved in the study are planning to continue their research in this area in relation to other nutrients.

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This year’s show was judged by Scotsman Ian Watson, owner of the 50-cow Kersquarter Herd based at Kelso in Roxburghshire and current junior vice-president of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society.

It was a red-letter day for the Parke family from Strabane, as they notched up the senior female, exhibitor-bred and overall supreme championships with Coolermoney Frances T703, and the junior male championship with five-month-old calf Coolermoney Ragnor Z322.

Six-year-old Coolermoney Frances T703 was the winner of the cow class, and kept impressing the judge throughout the day to claim a number of other top awards. She was sired by Hallington Edition M362 and her dam was the privately purchased Lough Erne Frances J014.

She was a first-prize winner at Balmoral Show in May, and breed champion at Omagh Show a few weeks ago. This much-admired young cow was accompanied in the showring by her February-born bull calf Coolermoney Frankie Z311.

Adrian and Graeme Parke founded in the Coolermoney prefix in 1996, and run a herd of eight pedigree cows.

Their junior male champion was five-month-old bull calf Coolermoney Ragnor Z322. He is by Rawburn Boss Hogg N630, and bred from Coolermoney Rosita J003.

“This bull calf came from a strong class of six. Congratulations to the Park family on their first-class presentation and winning first, second and third in the class,” added the judge.

Claiming the reserve overall championship was the senior male award winner, and reserve exhibitor-bred champion, Glenbrae Red Mr Kayo Y536 exhibited by William and Jane Dodd, and sons Jamie and Lewis, from Saintfield.

The 16-month-old ET bull was sired by Mosshall Red Evolution P353, and is out of the Scottish-bred Gannon Red Miss Kayo S697 – one of 15 cows in the herd. He has won an array of awards during the show season.

The Dodd family also scooped the reserve senior female championship with the September 2021 Glenbrae Red Mouse X236. A Mosshall Red Forrest V018 daughter, she is bred from Gannon Red Mouse U173.

Rounding off a successful day for the Dodd family was the reserve junior female champion, Glenbrae Red Miss Kayo Y477, a full ET sister to the reserve supreme champion.

Home Farm Erne Y802, bred Fintan Keown, Belleek, was the winner of the reserve senior male championship.

Sired by Haymount War Smith R578, his dam was the former Pedigree Calf Fair breed champion Home Farm Ebony Stunner S087 – one of 10 cows in the herd. Home Farm Erne Y802 was junior champion, male and reserve supreme champion at Balmoral Show in May.

The reserve junior male champion was Ard Dubh Premier Y617, a Dillon New Holland son, bred by Mena McCloskey from Dungiven. Born in November 2022, he is an ET son of Mogeely Paula V630.

Securing the junior female Angus championship was Island Farm Pretty Y145, a seventeen-month-old Stouphill Marcus Prince U251 son, bred by Kevin McOscar, Cookstown.

Speaking after the event, judge Ian Watson said: “Thank you to the Northern Ireland club for inviting me to judge. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, despite the persistent rain.

“There was a fantastic show of cattle, and I’d like to commend the exhibitors on a great effort.

“The show was dominated by younger animals, and the heifer classes were exceptionally strong, with up to nine individual entries in one class. There was great quality throughout, and the top-placed animals in every class are full of potential for the future.

“The champion is a terrific young cow, and is working hard rearing her bull calf. She was a very worthy winner, and later in the day I was pleased to see her winning the reserve interbreed beef championship,” he added.

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Cardigan County Agricultural Show has been cancelled due to extreme weather that has been forecast, organisers have confirmed.

The Welsh show was supposed to take place on Saturday (August 5).

In a statement posted online, the Cardigan Show chief stewards said:

“After much deliberation it is with a heavy heart that the chief stewards have made the heartbreaking decision to cancel the show on Saturday due to the forecasted winds of up to 49mph.”

The Met Office has put a Status Yellow wind warning in place for parts of Wales this weekend, including Cardiff; Swansea; Aberystwyth; Carmarthen; Monmouth; and St. David’s.

This implies there will be “unseasonably windy weather”, likely to cause disruption to travel and outdoor activities.

“We appreciate this decision has consequences, however the health and safety of our exhibitors and visitors is our priority,” the chief stewards added.

“We will be refunding all trade stands, sponsors and livestock exhibitors. Please bear with us as we process this.”

The show would have included cattle; sheep; horse; hunter; rabbit; goat; pig; and dog classes.

It was also set to have sheepdog trials, a shearing competition, a young handler’s competition, a vintage parade and more.

The show also offers activities for all, including cookery demonstrations, trade stands and evening entertainment.

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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the acquisition of an abattoir in the town of Bridge of Allen, and a meat packing plant in Queenslie in Glasgow.

Both plants belong to Scottish-based processor Scotbeef.

The CMA issued an enforcement order to Anglo Beef Processors (ABP) UK on Saturday (July 29), indicating that it had decided to investigate the transaction on the basis that the business of ABP UK and Scotbeef will cease to be distinct.

The CMA has not indicated a date by which it will reach a decision.

The enforcement order prevents ABP from taking any action, during the course of the investigation, which would lead to the integration of Scotbeef with ABP; transfer ownership or control of Scotbeef or its subsidiaries; or impair the ability of ABP and Scotbeef to compete independently in any of the markets affected by the transaction.

However, this does not apply to any actions taken by ABP prior to the date of the enforcement order.

As well as outlining what ABP cannot do, the enforcement order also compels ABP to take certain actions and ensure certain condition are maintained.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Scotbeef is carried on separately from ABP, with separate brand identity maintained;
• Both businesses are maintained as going concerns;
• No significant changes are made in the organisational structure of either business;
• Quality of goods provided by both businesses within the UK are maintained;
• Assets of either business are maintained and not disposed of;
• No integration of the information technology (IT) between both businesses and Scotbeef’s software platforms will remain unchanged;
• Lists of suppliers and customers of both businesses will remain separate, and Scotbeef will continue to carry out its own negotiations with existing or potential suppliers or customers;
• No changes are made to key staff of either business and no staff are transferred between the two;
• Reasonable steps must be taken to ensure all key staff remain with both businesses;
• No information of a confidential or proprietary nature relating to either business shall pass between the two, except as is necessary in the ordinary course of business (such as regulatory or accounting obligations), provided that any records or copies of such information be returned to the business to which they relate and are destroyed in the event that the transaction is prohibited.

Again, these obligations in the enforcement order only apply from the date on which the order was issued.

ABP is required to provide information to the CMA that the latter requires for the purposes of monitoring compliance with the enforcement order.

ABP announces acquisition

ABP announced the acquisition of the Bridge of Allan abattoir and Queenslie meat packing plant on June 15.

It is intended that the two facilities will become part of ABP’s UK meat division, which also includes an existing processing facility in Perth, Scotland.

The sale was expected to be completed by the end of July.

Frank Stephenson, group chief executive of ABP, had said: “We look forward to working with the team in Scotbeef to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for farmer suppliers, colleagues and customers at the Queenslie and Bridge of Allan plants.”

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The Control of Poisons and Explosives Precursors Regulations 2023 has introduced new substances to its list of regulated explosives precursors and poisons, one of which was ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen.

Substances are monitored on this list as they are deemed to have the potential to be included in the manufacture of explosives or to cause harm.

An explosives precursors and poisons (EPP) licence is required by members of the public to acquire these items, but not by businesses and professional end users if they are using the substance as part of their profession.

However, now as of October 1, these businesses and professional will need to verify their legitimacy to their supplier with photo ID, their name and address, a statement of their trade, business, profession or function, and their VAT registration number (if applicable).

Photo ID can include a passport, driving licence, trade identification card, business ID card.

Suppliers must record and retain this information for 18 months and have it available for inspection.

The suppliers must also asses whether they believe the intended use is reasonably consistent with the trade, business or profession.

This verification has to be done every time a new purchase is made. Or, if supplies are being bought frequently or on a routine basis, the customer needs to be verified every 18 months or if there is a change in normal purchasing patterns.

The Agricultural Industries Federation (AIC) has warned that this may cause issues for farmers and growers as they often place orders over the phone.

“AIC is concerned that unless farming customers can show distributors their photo ID, they legally will not be able to place an order and we may see a situation where there is a de facto ban on AN fertiliser sales from October,” AIC head of fertiliser, Jo Gilbertson said.

“While we will always support efforts to further minimise the public safety risks of fertiliser falling into the wrong hands, the government has failed to understand how ammonium nitrate products are bought and sold within agriculture.

“AIC will be working with farming unions to ensure that the practicalities of this new legislation are better understood by farmers across the UK, making sure that they are well prepared for the changes.”

The National Famers’ Union has warned farmers to plan ahead of October 1.

“Farmers need to be aware of this new regulation so that they can work with their suppliers ahead of the need to purchase fertiliser after October 1,” NFU Crops Board chair Matt Culley said.

“The NFU has stressed the importance of ensuring additional measures such as this do not put barriers in place that disrupt a grower’s ability to purchase important crop nutrients, especially during times of urgency to get fertiliser on farm and applied within the appropriate timeframe,” he added.

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The May 2022-born Limousin bull Jalex Transform is set to go up for auction and is considered by those behind the Jalex herd as “the best they have ever offered”.

The bull was sired by the 16k Huntershall Nutcracker which is a proven show-calf producer. The bull’s dam is Brockhurst Oriana and was a fatstock champion several times over including champion at Bucks show, Reserve Champion at Agri Expo, and Champion Winter Stock Festival.

Oriana is from a line of renowned breeding females from the Brockhurst Herd. Her dam Brockhurst Lucy was Champion at the Scottish Grand Prix, her grandam being Brockhurst Bolshoi, multiple Champion and Interbreed champion-winning cow, including Interbreed at the Yorkshire show.

Jalex Transform has chalked up an array of awards to include:

• Balmoral Show Junior, Male and Reserve Exhibitor bred Champion;
• Ballymoney Show, Interbreed Champion and Limousin Champion;
• Ballymena Show, Champion Limousin and Interbreed Champion;
• Antrim Show, Supreme, Intermediate and Male Champion at Northern Ireland’s Limousin Club’s National Show;
• Antrim Show, Bull Stakes 2023 Interbreed Champion and Overall Interbreed Champion;
• Clogher Show, NISA Junior Bull of the Year Champion 2023.

Jalex Transform was bred with 1 NT821 and 1 Q204X genes and the Jalex Herd team has said the bull “should be an exciting prospect to breed calves for both the pedigree and commercial market”.

The herd owners said: “Ordinarily, this bull would have travelled to Carlisle later in the season, however work commitments on this busy farm has promoted the decision to offer Transform at the on-farm sale instead. Export can be arranged to UK and Ireland.”

The sale will take place on August 18, from 7.30p.m, on the farm at Gloverstown Road, Randalstown, Co. Antrim. Pre-sale viewing is an option.

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“With a keen understanding of the challenges and desires of the farming community, Katch is on a mission to foster meaningful connections among those who share the unique bond of agricultural living,” said Paul Numan.

“We have over 15,000 members signed up to our socialising app and we know that at least 3,000 of them are farmers, with most members being 28-47 years of age,” he said.

“At the moment most of the members are living in Ireland, but we are slowly building a membership in the UK too.”

Katch

“Katch is free to use and we host free, daily dating events on the app where members have the chance to interact with each other privately and face-to-face during two-minute video calls,” the CEO explained.

Attending Katch events, the CEO said, makes socialising with new people “super easy” and efficient, allowing them to introduce each other in a relaxed manner.

“All they have to do is download the app and register their account. They can book their spot for any event from inside the app or from our website,” Paul said.

“Every person can select the gender, age range and location of the people they want to interact with, so it is completely up to them. The same settings are present inside every event too so you would only be connected to people who match your settings.

“We know that every week there are at least 10 dates happening. With this rate, we will undoubtedly witness a few marriages in the future,” contended the CEO.

‘Farmers should date farmers’

The thinking at Katch is that farmers should date people familiar with the demands of farming life.

“Farming is more than a profession; it’s a way of life. The farmers we spoke to revealed that finding a partner who comprehends the day-to-day realities of their vocation is crucial for a successful relationship,” Paul said.

“Non-farmers may appreciate the romantic notion of life in the countryside but the early mornings, long days in the fields, and the relentless care needed for livestock can be unfamiliar territory.

“Katch acknowledges that farming isn’t just a job; it’s a commitment that demands unwavering dedication,” he said.

“One of the main complaints voiced by non-farming singles is the lack of free time and holidays,” he continued

“But for farmers, the land and animals require attention 24/7, and vacations often seem like a distant dream.

“Farmers are a completely different breed of people so if you are not from this background, then once the romance ends and real day-to-day world kicks in you are in for a rude awakening.

“Many non-farming singles like the environmental concept of the countryside, animals and growing your own vegetables, but the real farmer knows all too well what the calving, lambing, silage, tillage, slurry season means which is completely oblivious to the non-farmer,” said Paul.

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A man has died in a incident on a farm in Malvern, Worcestershire this morning (Friday, July 28).

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to a farm off the B4220 near Cradley at 10:38a.m today where they found the man trapped between vehicles.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said he was in “critical condition” when the two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham arrived.

“Staff immediately began administering advanced life support,” the spokesperson added.

“Sadly, despite everyone’s best efforts, it became apparent nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”

It supplied no further information on the detail of the incident.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that of the 27 people killed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in Great Britain in 2022/2023, three were as a result of being struck by a moving vehicle and three were as a result of contact with machinery.

Struck by a moving vehicle was the most common cause of death in the sector over the five-year period (2018/19-2022/23).

The other main causes of farm deaths in 2022/2023 were injury by an animal (8), fall from height (4), struck by an object (4) and ‘other’ (5).

Being injured by an animal (cattle) caused most deaths.

Agriculture has the worst rate of worker fatal injury (per 100,000 workers) of all the main industry sectors, with the annual average injury rate over the last five years around 21 times as high as the all-industry rate.

The 11th annual Farm Safety Week took place earlier this month (beginning Monday, July 17), during which farmers were encouraged to review their farm safety measures.

“By doing this, you are not only actively working to keep yourself safe, but you are also protecting the farm business and most importantly your family, from the devastating experience of losing a loved one,” Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president William Irvine said.

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Chris MacManus, a Sinn Féin member of the European Parliament (MEP), was speaking at the Erris Agricultural Show in Belmullet, Co. Mayo.

He said: “Brexit has had a profound impact on many sectors, across the island of Ireland.

“Indeed, as a result of the long standing tradition between Ireland and Britain, the Irish agri-food sector is one of the most exposed to the impacts of Brexit.

“The conversation around the reunification of Ireland is growing, with more and more sectoral interests beginning to engage to ensure their concerns are known and heeded,” MacManus added.

The Ireland Midlands-Northwest MEP said that the agriculture sector may have the most to gain from a united Ireland.

“It is my view that one sector that could potentially be the biggest beneficiary is the farming and agricultural sector,” he commented.

“Along with this, I believe in a new and united Ireland that rural dwellers and farming will benefit from, provided the appropriate governance structures are put in place.”

MacManus suggested that farm organisations would be able to get the most out of reunification for farmers by taking part the public debate on the issue.

“Therefore I believe it is absolutely crucial for farming representative groups to engage in the conversation to ensure that they maximise the benefits that reunification could have for the sector,” the Sinn Féin representative said.

Sinn Féin on Mercosur

Last week, MacManus sounded a warning on the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement (FTA), saying that it poses “an existential threat to Irish farmers and environment”.

MacManus hit out at Brussels in its new attempt to force through the FTA.

The EU and the Mercosur bloc of South American economies are aiming to finalise the trade deal this year.

Both the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Brazilian President Lula da Silva recently reaffirmed their commitment to ratify the agreement “as soon as possible”.

However, MacManus said: “This agreement would allow for an additional 99,000t of beef from the South American trade association to enter the EU tariff-free. Any such deal would saturate our market at the expense of Irish farmers.”

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38-year-old Michael Maguire of Carrive Crescent, Cloughoge, Newry was sentenced at Newry Magistrates Court of one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to eight bovine animals.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said Maguire was previously convicted on March 20, 2023.

Unnecessary suffering

Maguire was disqualified from keeping, owning, participating in keeping animals, being party to an arrangement under which animals are kept, from transporting and arranging transport of farm animals for two years.

He also received three months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, a £3,000 fine and was ordered to pay back £5,000 compensation to DAERA.

The case arose from the examination of tuberculosis (TB) reactor cattle from Maguire’s herd at the slaughter plant.

Departmental inspectors noticed the TB testing sites on the animals’ necks were largely not typical tuberculosis reactions.

The TB test sites from nine animals were sent to a veterinary pathologist for post-mortem examination and in the opinion of the pathologist, the TB test sites from eight animals were interfered with to cause the atypical reactions.

A DAERA senior vet outlined how the deliberate interference with the animals’ skin caused inflammation and unnecessary suffering, and how that suffering was significant and prolonged with the atypical reactions being still visible long after the TB test was completed.

DAERA said it gives high priority to the welfare of animals and operates a vigorous enforcement policy to ensure full compliance of regulatory requirements.

Any breaches are investigated thoroughly and offenders prosecuted as necessary.

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Roger Parry & Partners has brought a 442.26ac livestock farm in Shropshire to the market with an asking price of £4.75 million.

The farm is situated just outside Picklescott Village at the edge of the Long Mynd, and is close to the market town of Church Stretton and within reasonable proximity to Shrewsbury and Ludlow. 

The property includes a six-bedroom, five-bathroom farmhouse which was built in 2003.

The farm itself has been run as a beef cattle unit plus arable land. It has approximately 58,875ft² of buildings for 1,200 in-housed cattle. It has a range of modern buildings currently used primarily as cattle yards.

All livestock buildings are supplied with water from a private well.

In addition, the Shropshire farm has a grain/fodder store, a workshop, machinery storage buildings, an annex and stables.

The land is ringfened, and has access of council-maintained roads. The owners also benefit from Commoners’ rights on the Long Mynd. 19.94ac are woodland.

Commenting on the property, Roger of Roger Parry & Partners said: “This sale offers an outstanding opportunity for buyers to purchase a fully equipped livestock farm which has been run as a beef cattle unit plus arable land.

“It has an outstanding range of modern agricultural buildings in a superb location.

“The property is available to purchase as a whole or up to five lots,” he added.

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The NIFAIS will replace the existing Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS), which has been in operation since 1998. 

While the data is being transferred between the systems there will be a reduction in tuberculosis (TB) testing to reduce the risk of data loss or corruption.

The reductions are as follows:

• Week commencing August 21: only Reactor Herd tests will be tested on the Monday and results read on the Thursday;
• Week commencing August 28: no testing;
• Week commencing September 4: no TB testing to commence on Monday. Only Reactor herd testing Tuesday – Saturday.

DAERA is urging herd keepers, whose compulsory TB tests fall within this period, to contact their vet now to arrange an alternative date to ensure they avoid going overdue, as restrictions will be imposed.

This testing restriction period will be taken into account in any assessments for breaches of the Cross Compliance requirements for TB testing, however it remains the herd keeper’s responsibility to comply with TB testing requirements irrespective of these arrangements.

All tests can be started 30 days in advance of their due date, and it may be possible to arrange some non-reactor herd tests even earlier than this, if agreed with DAERA.

There may also be a short delay in the removal of reactors due to a reduction in the processing of valuations on APHIS and the generation of movement licences, but DAERA said any disruption will be kept to a minimum and reactors must remain isolated until removed.

It will still be possible to export animals during the three-week period, but again, exporters are advised to plan ahead with their vet ensure any required tests are completed in time and prior to the restriction period.

Tag suppliers will have restricted access to NIFAIS during the weekend of September 23-, so tag orders should be places in advance of this date if needed.

The NIFAIS was originally supposed to launch on June 12, but was postponed as further testing and integration with IT systems was needed.

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The union said it is concerned that current milk price is getting further and further away from the breakeven cost for producing milk in Northern Ireland.

It is urging local dairy companies to take note of this gap and pay the “most competitive price to their farmers”.

“Otherwise, our dairy industry could be facing a very worrying final part of the year and beyond,” Cyril Orr, UFU Dairy Committee vice-chair said.

Milk price in NI

“Earlier this month I participated in the Copa-Copgeca Milk Working Group. During the meeting it was noted that not only was the Northern Ireland milk price lagging behind most European Union member states, but it is significantly behind those of our neighbours in Great Britain,” Cyril added.

“This could be as much as 5p/L, which is not sustainable, particularly as we approach the autumn and winter months when input costs will increase further.”

On top of this, Cyril said that Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative is causing “even graver concern amongst members” over its impact on input costs.

The latest data on UK milk price from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) confirms that ‘all in’ milk price in Northern Ireland in May 2023, at 32.82p/L, was 5.79p/L behind the Great Britain ‘all in’ milk price (38.61p/L).

In May 2022, Northern Ireland’s milk price, at 42.73p/L, was 2.73p/L above that of Great Britain.

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Women who work in the meat industry in Ireland and the UK who are under the age of 35 are being invited to apply before the deadline of July 31. Nominations are also accepted.

The One to Watch award, now in its fifth year, aims to recognise and celebrate young, ambitious women making their mark in the meat industry.

The winner will receive £4,000, which can be used to invest in personal and professional growth, as well as a place at the awards lunch and networking event October 5, 2023.

Previous winners came from Cranswick plc, ABP Ireland, Marks & Spencer, and Morrisons, amongst other organisations, and have used the prize money for initiatives like leadership courses, technical qualifications, and new product development initiatives.

One to Watch 2023

This year’s judging panel comprises Margaret Boanas, chair of International Meat Trade Association; Lucianne Allen, director at Aubrey Allen; Jamila Gordeon, CEO of Lumachain; and Sean Deane, market specialist at Bord Bia. 

Rebecca Fearon, membership marketing manager for Meat Business Women said: “Celebrating young, aspirational women in the meat industry is a passion for Meat Business Women. We want to support the fantastic talent that we know exists in the industry.

“The great thing about this prize is that it gives our winner a really tangible step up in her personal development, and also helps to build self-confidence, which we know can be a barrier for some.

“Feedback from previous applicants is that completing the application form is a great exercise in reviewing personal achievements and celebrating how far you’ve come in your career to date.”

Applications – which comprise a series of questions which make the basis for judging – can be submitted online, and shortlisted finalists will be contacted in August.

Meat Business Women

Meat Business Women is a professional networking group for women working in the meat industry with membership in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It was founded in 2015 by Laura Ryan and Pamela Brook.

Having worked in the meat industry for more than a decade, Ryan was struck by the limited number of females in the industry, and at board level in particular.

Improvement has been made with regards to this since then; according to an independent report commissioned by Meat Business Women, women now make up 23% of board-level director roles, 32% of high-level leadership roles and 32% of middle-manager roles in the meat industry.

However, the report on gender representation in the meat industry in 2023, which was published in May, also revealed that just 8% of CEO roles are held by women (up by 3% since 2020) and the number of women in the global workforce has dropped to 33.5% (down from 36%). 

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AHDB chair Nicholas Saphir said Rycroft, who joined AHDB as CEO in August 2021, has been “instrumental in delivering the board’s programme”.

“He has led the organisation through significant milestones, including the industry’s largest consultation, ‘Shape the Future’, and developing a management team ready to support levy payers in dealing with the challenges that lie ahead,” Saphir said.

“Throughout his leadership, Tim has demonstrated a deep commitment to delivering for all levy payers and has embedded a culture that fosters collaboration.

“The board is very grateful to Tim for his role in further developing a value-based and levy-payer-engaged organisation.”

Rycroft said his decision to leave was hard, but that it is “rooted” in his “confidence in AHDB’s future”.

“Thanks to great work from the whole team, AHDB has navigated a period of significant change and is now back where it needs to be: Facing into the future and clear about how best to serve levy payers and the wider agricultural sector,” he said.

“With my mission now nearly accomplished, the end of 2023 is the right time for me to move on.”

The board said that the process to find his successor will begin shortly.

AHDB

The AHDB is also currently seeking farmer members for a beef and lamb discussion group, with applications for a seat closing on August 4, 2023.

The AHDB Beef and Lamb Ambassadors Group aims to challenge how farmers think, encourage ideas to be shared, and motivate participants to increase their efficiency and profitability.

Members will sit on the group for a three-year period, with the group holding two meetings each year anywhere in the UK. The first meeting is planned for October 2023.

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While the Aussie cattle herd is growing, so to is its influence on the UK beef market.

UK beef imports from Australia in June 2023 have almost quadrupled on the level of beef imports from Australia in June 2022, according to the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

The bar chart below shows the total fresh/frozen beef imports from Australia to the UK:

The free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and Australia kicked in on May 31, 2023, which grants tariff-free quotas (TRQ) on Australian beef.

Recorded shipments of Australian beef to the UK have totalled 384t in June under the new TRQ.

For comparison, the UK imported an average of 15,400t from Ireland in the same period which is 68% of the UK’s total beef imports in June 2022.

The TRQs allow this Australian beef to enter the UK without paying for tariffs which would usually increase the cost of importing it, according to the AHDB.

Under the new FTA, the current limit of beef imports (product weight) is 20,616t/year. This is split equally between first come, first served (FCFS), and allocated quotas.

Allocated quotas are for large exporters with an allocated tonnage they can import and are based on the size of the company.

FCFS quotas are non-allocated and fill up as and when. The total TRQ will continue to grow from 2023 to 2033, up to 110,000t.

Under the allocated TRQ, 343t of Australian beef have been shipped to the UK in the four weeks ending June 26, 2023. This is 3% of the allocated quota, with 9,984t available to enter until December 31, 2023.

Under the FCFS quota just under 41t have been shipped, with 10,267t available to enter until the end of the year.

Looking at previous years, June imports of beef from Australia have averaged 103t from 2018-2022, making up 0.4% of the UK’s beef imports in June.

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Last year’s event saw a significant Irish attendance with representatives from Irish Hereford Prime, the Irish Charolais Cattle Society, the Irish Hereford Breed Society, and many other Irish farmers with a keen interest in livestock.

This year’s event will see over 2,000 head of livestock on display with a total of 1,500 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors expected to attend over the four days.

The 2023 event will see both the Limousin and Brown Swiss breeds host their national championships and the mixed Montbelliarde breed will host its inter-regional competition.

Limousins at Sommet

This year marks the fourth time the Limousin breed in France will use the event to host its national championships.

Divided into four half-days, the event is described by the organisers as “the world’s largest gathering of the Limousin breed” with over 140 Limousin breeders from across France represented at the show.

Over 400 Limousin cattle from the best French Limousin genetics will compete in the event.

An auction sale of elite breeding stock will round off activities on Thursday, October 5.

Brown swiss

The Brown Swiss breed will host its national championships at the event for the second-ever time.

Brown Swiss farmers from across France will be present and over 150 Brown Swiss cattle will be competing in the championships.

The emphasis for breeders will be on welcoming Brown Swiss enthusiasts from other countries and developing contacts for potential exports.

The event has a significant dairy-breed presence with over 530 dairy cattle from a range of breeds set to be on show at the thee-day event.

Sustainability in livestock production is the theme for the 2023 event.

The post Dates set for 2023 Sommet de l’Élevage livestock show appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The total income from farming (TIFF) in England in 2022 was £5.7 billion, a 12.9% increase from 2021.

This is the highest TIFF in the past six years for England. The second-highest TIFF was in 2021 at £5 billion, and the lowest over the past six years was in 2018 at £3.2 billion.

Even after adjusting for inflation using the current baseline (real terms), 2022 still saw an increase in TIFFF of £397 million (7.5%) from 2021. This is the highest TIFF in England in ‘real terms’ since 1996.

Commenting on the TIFF figures for 2022, Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

“A 13% increase in farming income for 2022 is promising news for the sector and works out at more than £600 million extra into the industry in England compared with 2021.

“This money will go straight to the heart of our rural economies, supporting farmers who work tirelessly to keep high-quality food on our tables,” he said.

The latest TIFF figures were published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) today (Thursday, July 6).

Defra said that high commodity prices for outputs outweighed the increased input costs last year, contributing to the overall rise in TIFF.

“I know it hasn’t been easy, given the impact the illegal war in Ukraine has had on input costs for necessities such as feed, fuel and fertiliser, as well as global market volatilities and the challenges of our weather,” Minister Spencer added.

“The government will continue to work with and support farmers – and it’s an issue which is high on our agenda.

“Our UK Farm to Fork Summit saw a whole host of measures announced to support British farming, whether through safeguarding our food and production standards in future trade deals, confirming another 45,000 visas for seasonal workers next year, or making it easier for farmers to diversify their incomes.

“We will continue to deliver these measures on the ground as, with the right tools in place, we can protect the environment, produce food sustainably and keep businesses profitable – in turn growing our economy.”

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Half a dozen farmers have joined a £2 billion legal claim aimed at getting compensation from energy giants that are alleged to have paid secret commissions to third-party brokers.

Law firm Harcus Parker, which is representing the farms, believes there are thousands more who would be eligible to join.

The firm has launched the group litigation to reclaim these alleged commissions which are said to have falsely inflated energy prices for up to two million businesses and organisations in the UK.  

The undisclosed broker commissions were added onto the unit cost of gas and electricity, Harcus Parker said.

Harcus Parker said its research found that one energy supplier offered brokers as much as 10p/kWh in commissions that were then added to customers’ bills, frequently without their knowledge.

It has alleged that large number of suppliers offered brokers secret commissions of between 1p – 3p/kWh, it added. 

Damon Parker, senior partner and founder of Harcus Parker, said:

“We hope that by helping to return some of these secret energy commissions to businesses it will help ease some of the financial uncertainty faced by farmers. 

“I would urge any farmer who has not yet joined the legal action to contact us to see how we can help.”

The firm has set up a dedicated website for those wishing to make a claim.

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The new high-quality series will cover everything from livestock enterprises, to tillage, to politics and agri-business, as well as information relevant to farming families and rural communities.

It will give you, our audience, an insight into varied aspects of the agri-food sector, through interviews with well-known and not so well-known industry stakeholders, including farmers, economists, researchers, business-people and politicians.

In the pilot episode, which is available now on all podcast platforms and in the Agriland podcast section of this website, Ciaran Fitzgerald, a food economist with over 30 years’ experience in the agri-food sector and a regular columnist at Agriland, joins deputy news editor, Francess McDonnell.

They talk about a subject that is unavoidable in Ireland – politics and agriculture and how policy tends to frame the ‘take home’ income of those working in the agri-food sector in this country.

Agriland podcasts

This is the third series of podcasts launched by Agriland Media Group over the past two years, as the media business continues to expand its offering to an ever-growing audience.

The Farming Week podcast, which is available every Friday, has been rising in popularity with an already established audience and provides an overview of the top news stories in the world of agriculture each week.

It’s an ideal opportunity for those working in agriculture and living in rural areas to catch up on all the major news happening within the sector on any given week, so they won’t be out of touch when they socialise around the mart ring each week or come in from the fields in the evening.

We’ll keep the farming community up-to-date on everything they need to know each week.

AgriFocus is a more feature-focused podcast which will involve a host of different guests on an ongoing basis to discuss farming, agri-business, politics, and rural life.

Editor of Agriland, Stella Meehan said: “The launch of the AgriFocus podcast is an indication of how fast the online audience is growing these days.

“No longer do some people have time to always sit down and read a newspaper cover to cover; lives have become busier and agriculture has become more demanding.

“Our audience wants information that is relevant to them in a format that is easily accessible, concise and interesting and we’re delighted that we can fill that gap with AgriFocus.”

You can listen to all of Agriland’s podcasts, including the first episode of AgriFocus by clicking here.

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The prototype, called the ErgoPOD was designed and created by Waikato Milking Systems, which won the 2023 Prototype Award at Fieldays Innovation Awards.

Executive chairman of Waikato Milking Systems Jamie Mikkelson said: “We started on this journey about four years ago; we had this crazy idea that if we were going to be the most admired company globally for milking efficiency, if a single operator could milk a thousand cows in an hour, that would be a game changer.”

The final stages of development of the ErgoPOD, including on-farm trials, are expected to be completed over the next 18 months.

New Zealand award winners

Entry requirements for the prototype award included that the innovation must:

• Have application in the food and fibre sector;
• Not have been exposed widely prior to the awards;
• Not be available for sale on the market.

The criteria required for entrants to be judged on included:

• Who are your competitors and how do you differ?;
• Is it sensitive to the environment?;
• What is the unique solution – benefit to the sector?;
• Presentation of the innovation.

The 2023 prototype prize package included $10,000 cash and product design and development services to the value of $5,000.

Milking system prototype

The Ergopod prototype has demonstrated the ability for farmers to reduce their risk of injury, as a significant amount of automation is involved in running the system.

Waikato claims to halve the time required for farmers to apply milking cups and to ease the access for cows, as it removes multiple hazards for a cow entering and leaving the milking platform.

The prototype facilitates opportunities for the precise measurement and control of milk quality, and even speeds up the process of a cow exiting a rotary milking platform.

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The US lifted its ban on UK beef and lamb imports in September 2021. It had been in place since 1989 over concerns regarding an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and extended not only to meat, but to semen and embryos too.

Two top Scottish breeders – Roderick Runciman of the famous Allanshaws flock, and Andrew Polson of the Smerlie flock – were both selected to export the semen.

Andrew had been contacted by farmers stateside directly.

“I was contacted directly by a breeder in the states whose grandfather was from Caithness,” he said.

“He had studied agriculture at university in Scotland, too, and visited sales in Caithness, so he knew what he was looking for.

“They had seen some of my sheep and Roderick’s sheep go into the sale ring and because of that we were asked to supply semen.”

Both breeders put four rams forward which were rigorously tested before being allowed to provide semen. This process, which took almost a year, was managed by AB Europe. It involved each ram being placed into isolation and undergoing a range of tests.

Roderick said his rams – Sebay Excitable, Pengreos Xcalibre, Allanshaws XR3, and Allanshaw ACDC – were all proven sires and passed the tests with flying colours.

His 750 North Country Cheviot ewes scan between 190-200% and are capable of raising two lambs – even at heights of up to 1,400ft on his farm in the Scottish borders.

Commenting on his ideal type, Roderick said: “I like them to be eye-catching and I try to look after their bodies, too. That’s the basics.

“A lot of folk buy a tup to breed a tup. But I buy a tup to breed females. Females will breed a tup. Always keep the females right as they’re the foundation of every flock.”

Andrew runs 200 purebred ewes and sells shearling rams and gimmers at Caithness and Lockerbie.

The rams he put forward to donate semen are Smerlie Ambassador, Smerlie Admiral, Smerlie Whisky and Cairnside Brightspark.

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That’s according to Texel Sheep Society chief executive John Yates, who cited a 2022 study commissioned by the society and AbacusBio, a genetics consultancy.

Speaking ahead of the National Sheep Association (NSA) event, Yates said: “No other single breed has as much influence on the industry as Texel does.”

Texel breed

According to Yates, Texel-cross lambs are in high demand “no matter what ewe breed they are out of”.

“Texel lambs regularly earn premium prices in Northern Irish prime stock sales, being at the top or near the top of the trade week in, week out,” he said.

“The recent introduction of economic selection indexes for both terminal and replacement traits within the Texel breed offers Northern Irish farmers the potential to further increase their returns.

“Using performance data as part of your ram selection criteria has huge potential to add extra value to a business,” he added.

“High ranking rams deliver almost £5/lamb more than lower-ranking rams. Over a ram’s working lifetime, this is easily worth an extra £1,000/ram; generated through shorter finish times and improved carcass quality.”

Sheep Northern Ireland

The NSA’s 2023 Sheep Northern Ireland event takes place on Tuesday, July 4, at Tynan Estate in Co. Armagh.

The farm participated in the Northern Ireland sheep programme and, as part of this, developed a three- and five-year farm plan, reviewing the farm’s objectives and setting key performance targets to identify areas for change.

This included soil fertility, grassland management, breeding and genetics, and performance recording, all of which will be discussed at the NSA event.

NSA regional representative in Northern Ireland, Edward Adamson said: “The sheep sector has a tremendous amount to offer Northern Ireland’s economy as a whole.

“But given the scale of rising costs, flock owners need every penny they can get right now.”

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“I always say I was born two generations too late,” said Robbie Neill from Stonebridge Cottage Farm in Crossgar, Co. Down which specialises in pedigree pork. 

“I was always into sustainability. I prefer the times when people had their own livestock and grew their own vegetables, when they were more self-sufficient.”

Stonebridge Cottage Farm has 120 rare breed pigs, some pedigree sheep and a flock of hens.

Robbie is from a farming background. He grew up on a beef and sheep farm with his parents and two brothers.

He had spent more than a decade breeding pedigree Suffolk sheep but took over the family farm with his brother when his father passed away suddenly in 2016.

His brother rears and breeds Limousins and British Blues, while Robbie concentrated on pigs.

Pedigree pork in Co. Down

So how did he get into pedigree pork?

“I said to my wife Louise that I wouldn’t mind a sow out the back and she said ‘no way, we have enough four-legged animals about the place’. She went to a hen do and as soon as the tail light was out the driveway, I had Martha in the yard. She was a pedigree Oxford Sandy and Black,” Robbie explained.

“Louise forgave me eventually and we kept her. Before long, we had a litter of piglets.”

That was seven years ago. Now, Robbie has 100 pigs – a mixture of Oxford Sandy and Black and Saddleback which he rears and breeds.

Some are sold in their farm shop; some go to independent fine food stores and others to food service.

The unique selling point is that they are fed with the whey from Mike’s Fancy Cheese which is a raw milk cheese made nearby.

They also get spent grain from the Bullhouse Brewery in Belfast. Feed is bought from the local mill and they also get local vegetables.

“Mike had nowhere for his whey, so we collect from him once a week and the brewers’ grain is also close by,” Robbie explained.

“I started when I had Martha with grain from Farmageddon Co-op which is now closed but thankfully, craft breweries are now very popular and the Bullhouse have two locations in Belfast including a tap room in Ballyhackamore in east Belfast.

“I work with Lisdergan Butchers from Omagh who take whole animals off me and distribute to food service.

“Chefs love that there is a such good provenance and that they have a traditional diet. I still have a full-time job as a firefighter, so between the farm shop, retail, private customers and the food service through Lisdergan Meats, it balances out well,” Robbie added.

Markets for pork

The majority of their business is selling to chefs, but Robbie says he enjoys interacting with the public.

“We are flexible with our hours for the farm shop. It is open all day Saturday which tends to be the busiest day,” he said.

“What is different about us is that we can provide the cuts that are difficult for people to source, like porchetta.

“We are seeing more demand for the roasting cuts like shoulder, and pork belly with the rind still attached, but the burgers, chops, mince and sausages still sell very well.”

The pedigree side of the business is something Robbie says he gets great satisfaction from.

“There is a great buzz at shows and events,” he said. “You get to exchange news and tips with other breeders and it’s lovely when they get a rosette. I love that the children are entering competitions, too.

“Hyacinth (named after Hyacinth Bucket (bouquet) in the TV show Keeping Up Appearances) won prizes at the Armagh County Show and Balmoral.”

Farm

The majority of the herd is kept outdoors on 4-5ac (the farm is 100ac, most of which his brother uses for rearing pedigree cattle) until the pigs are housed over winter.

“The ground they are on is marshy, so by winter it is too heavy and hard to get out to feed them. They don’t tend to thrive as well, so I move them into bedded sheds,” Robbie said.

“I still keep some pedigree Kerry Hill and North County Cheviot sheep, but the rare breed pork seems to have struck a chord with people.”

He said he is always happy to talk to people who want to get into rearing rare breed pigs. Future plans include building a family home on his grandparents’ farm nearby, subject to planning permission.

“At the moment, we live off-farm. It would be good to bring it all onto one site and maybe work more on farm-to-fork initiatives,” Robbie continued.

“The family are young [three children], so it’s about being able to go places with them and still have the animals.

“I used to say when I had sheep, you couldn’t get a dog to bark over the hedge at you. Now, with the pork, people love it. I have lots more plans in the pipeline.”

The post Focus: Pedigree pork on a Co. Down farm appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

One common complaint many farmers have with spreading their slurry with a dribble bar is that the slurry can sometimes cake in the lines where it is left in the field. Some farmers have reported noticing the slurry still in these lines at the base of the sward at silage cutting time.

Now, an entrepreneurial farmer from Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, has developed a simple, patented device that solves the issue of dribble-bar slurry being left in lines.

Stephen McKeown is the mastermind behind the new product called ‘Splash It’. The product is a dribble-bar attachment and was officially launched on the market this week.

The video below shows the Splash It device in action on a dribble bar in Co. Antrim:

Speaking to Agriland, Stephen said: “We saw the problems that were created by dribble bars as in the lines of slurry being left in the fields and too much slurry being deposited in the one area.”

He explained that when the slurry was being deposited in lines on his fields, he noticed it was “killing the grass” below this area and said that in dry periods, “the grass was growing and pushing the remaining slurry up along with it and when it came to silage cutting time, the rakes and harvesters were all bringing the slurry back into the silo or the round bale”.

So, the farmer came up with a solution.

“We designed and developed a little product called Splash It which attaches to any dribble bar,” he said.

“It has two simple bolts which are bolted onto the pipes on the dribble bar. It’s very simple to fit.”

Stephen said that the tank in the video above has 40 hoses and he fitted the attachments “in less than an hour”.

“It’s still low pressure spreading, it will still meet government requirements [for low emission spreading] but it will spread a more even coat over the silage field,” he said.

The material used to make the product is polypropylene, made using injection moulding.

“It’s a durable, hard wearing, strong piece of material. There is a little bit of flex in the product so it won’t easily break,” he added.

The post Video: New fitting aims to solve dribble-bar slurry issue appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Colm holds a Bachelors degree in english and history, and a Masters in international relations from University College Cork (UCC).

He also completed the Green Cert at Kildalton Agricultural College and has gained valuable experience in the fields of education and banking.

Colm comes from a sheep and beef farm on the south-Wexford coast and will join the editorial team of Agriland as a news journalist.

Agriland appointments

The latest addition of Colm Ryan to the newsteam, follows a series of appointments made by the publisher in recent weeks.

Recent appointments have been made to the editorial and commercial teams as well as AGRIcreative.

It marks the next stage in the media publisher’s plans to expand its offering to its growing audience and innovate into new areas.

Appointments to the commercial division include new account executives, Niall Thompson, Cathal Clarke and Peter Stones.

Keith Graham was recently appointed as head of video with AGRIcreative, while Patrick Butterly was also appointed as a videographer.

Recent appointments to the editorial team included multimedia journalist, Charlie Morrey and Dublin City University (DCU) journalism graduate, Louise Hickey.

Among the most popular features with our audience of the Agriland platform is The Farming Week podcast.

The weekly round-up of the biggest agricultural stories of the week is available on the Agriland website and all major podcast platforms each Friday and you can listen to previous episodes by clicking here.

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Robin Hunter (54) from Woodside Road, Ballymena, appeared at Antrim County Court yesterday (Monday, June 12)for an appeal hearing.

The court heard that he caused damage to an ancient field system near Moorfields, Co. Antrim, which was declared a Scheduled Monument in 1987 by Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division (HED).

Unauthorised works

Hunter, a retired sheep farmer, had previously pleaded guilty to the offence and had been fined £2,500 – reduced to £2,000 on appeal. The maximum fine the court could impose was £5,000.

When HED officials visited the site in June 2021, they found a laneway, 500M long and 4m wide, had been carved out of the landscape without consent, causing damage to the ancient field system from 500 AD.

The court was also told the land had been on the market for sale for three years prior to Hunter purchasing it, and that he claimed he had been unaware of the Scheduling that exists.

Referring to a report from HED, which helps communities understand and realise the value of our historic environment, Judge McCormick stated while the area was small in terms of the overall surface area of the protected site, nonetheless part of the field system had been destroyed by work that should not have occurred.

Following the conclusion of the case, a spokesperson for the Department for Communities said: “We appreciate the pressures of modern farming and business. One of our primary aims is to work closely with monument owners to facilitate their needs where possible.

“However, we must also pursue prosecutions where the actions have warranted it. Archaeological heritage is an important and finite resource.

“Works at scheduled monuments are regulated by the department on behalf of the public and prior legal consent for works must be gained by owners. Such consents are known as Scheduled Monument Consent and are managed by HED on behalf of the department.”

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UFU policy manager James McCluggage said the risk of bird flu has risen “greatly” following the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) recently in samples of dead black-headed gulls.

These samples were found at four locations across Northern Ireland – Belfast Harbour, Comber, Coalisland and Magherafelt – the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed last week (Friday, June 9).

In light of these outbreaks, DAERA vets updated the Veterinary Risk Assessment to reflect an “increasing likelihood of incursion into kept flocks, albeit with a high level of uncertainty, in consideration of the relatively limited number of reports”.

Coinciding with the update, Northern Ireland’s chief vet Dr. Robert Huey urged vigilance among bird keepers.

Echoing that sentiment today (Tuesday, June 13), McCluggage said:

“Due to the increased risk of avian influenza, extra attention needs to be given to cleaning and disinfecting equipment, clothing and vehicles.

“It’s hugely important that ponds or standing water is fenced of and wild bird deterrents are reintroduced. Access should be limited to essential visitors only on site, and workers need to change clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures.”

Good biosecurity, he said, is the “only way to protect their flock and the entire poultry sector from infection”.

He also urged ruminant livestock farmers to be cautious of infected birds.

“Ruminant livestock farmers also need to be cautious of infected birds,” he said.

“Bird carcasses have been known to cause and spread botulism which can be fatal if contracted by cattle or sheep.”

To any and all farmers that find dead waterfowl or other dead wild birds on their land, particularly birds of prey, McCluggage said to contact DAERA.

“Reporting bird carcasses to DAERA is critical to disease surveillance and preventing the infection from spreading any further,” he said.

The post UFU urges caution as bird flu threat increases in NI appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

It is suspected that the plot of land, in Blackwatertown, was purchased for £100,000 using money obtained from fraud and money laundering offences.

A Property Freezing Order was granted to the NCA at Belfast High Court on Monday (May 22) which will prevent anyone from selling or transferring ownership of the land while investigations into the source of the funds used to make the purchase are ongoing.

If the investigations find unlawful conduct, the NCA may seek the recovery of the land.

Commenting, NCA regional head of asset denial Rob Burgess said: “The NCA works to tackle organised crime gangs at all levels in order to frustrate, disrupt and ultimately dismantle them.

“Our civil recovery powers play an integral role and we are committed to working closely alongside partners in the Joint Agency Task Force to prevent those engaged in criminal activity from benefitting financially from their illegal actions.

“We will continue to use these powers to pursue the assets of criminals, no matter how carefully they have been hidden.”

Detective Superintendent Emma Neil, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI’s) Organised Crime Branch, added: “Working with our partner agencies, we are committed to tackling and disrupting the activities of organised crime groups.

“These groups use whatever means possible – from drug dealing to money laundering – to line their own pockets and, sadly, it’s often at the expense of the most vulnerable members of our society.

“This is an excellent example of working in partnership. We’re also grateful for the support of local people, and would appeal to anyone with information, or concerns, to contact us on 101.”

The post Land in Armagh suspected of being bought with fraud money appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Round-bale silage is a popular means of securing fodder on many farms and as farmers using round bales will know, the conventional round bale is initially bound together with netting.

This netting can be difficult to remove when feeding out bales. As well as this, bale plastic can be recycled easily but bale netting is much more difficult for farmers to recycle.

With this in mind, Co. Cavan-based agricultural contractor Eamon Hewitt has recently invested in a round-baler that has removed the need for netting on bale silage.

The baler in the video above is a Kuhn FBP 3135 fixed chamber BalePack. This baler-wrapper combination consists of a standard FB 3135 fixed-chamber baler with an Opticut Integral Rotor that is merged with the Intelliwrap bale-wrapping system.

This baler was purchased in Martin’s Garage, Bailieborough, Co. Cavan.

The bale chamber consists of 18 PowerTrack rollers which are designed to generate high bale densities and provide the operator with a consistent bale rotation.

As can be seen from the video above, the bale leaves the chamber with a layer of net replacement film binding the bale, replacing where the netting would traditionally be. The bale lands on the wrapper where it is sealed with bale plastic and is left on the field for collection.

The no-net bales can be handled and stacked in a similar manner to a conventional net-bound bale.

Silage bale stacking

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has reminded farmers of the storage requirements for silage bales.

The Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations, known as ‘GAP regulations’, came into force on March 2022 and gave legal effect to the Nitrates Directive and Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme (NAP).

The DAFM said that as of this year, silage bales, including high dry matter silage or haylage, can only be stored a maximum of two bales high, in the absence of adequate facilities for the collection and storage of any effluent that may arise.

Bales must continue to be stored at least 20m from surface water or a drinking water abstraction point, as required under the previous GAP regulations.

The department said that these requirements also apply to the storage of haylage.

“Farmers with low dry matter silage bales should consider themselves whether it is appropriate to stack their bales up to two high in the absence of appropriate effluent collection facilities,” it said.

The post Video: Combi round baler making no-net silage in Cavan appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The “Food 4 Future Expo Foodtech” event in Bilbao in Spain today (Thursday, May 18) highlighted that a sustainable food system can provide healthy and nutritious food “while protecting the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change”.

The four day European Foodtech Nations Summit. which featured more than 450 experts, examined the key issues facing producers and farmers also showcased innovations that could “promote a more sustainable industry”.

Leaders from companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone also discussed the latest developments in food technology at the event which is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and has sustainability and technology at its core.

According to experts who addressed the summit, technology is increasingly contributing to the journey of food from the farm to the table.

Industry leaders from the food and drinks industry said that “the food industry plays a key role in this process and that the competitiveness of food industry companies is closely linked to their ability to implement new technologies”.

While the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) said a key goal is to improve product choice by “promoting healthy eating, better food labeling and access to healthier products”.

Agriculture

According to the organisers of the summit sustainability both in agriculture and food production “is an increasingly important issue around the world”.

“With a growing world population and increasing demand for food, food production and distribution needs to become more sustainable to ensure that we can feed everyone equitably without compromising the future of the planet, ” they said.

The summit also highlighted why the European Union’s Sustainable Agriculture Strategy – which seeks to improve the productivity and resilience of European agriculture by promoting more sustainable farming practices and innovation in agricultural technology – is considered a “success”.

“According to a European Commission report, this strategy is expected to lead to a 10% reduction in the use of plant protection products and a 20% reduction in the use of fertilisers in the EU by 2030,” the summit organisers stated.

The post Regenerative agriculture top of agenda at Spanish Expo appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

In an opinion document, Oliver Ropke, the president of the EESC, highlighted that the EU has amended its “delegated regulation” allowing cattle and sheep to move outside the EU regulatory zone – and therefore Northern Ireland – and return within 15 days.

But Ropke stated that in practice, it is still a “challenge” for Northern Ireland cattle breeders.

Currently, cattle entering Northern Ireland from UK must have, in addition to their two UK tags, an additional “Great Britain (GB) export tag” applied.

Within 20 days of entering Northern Ireland, they must then have two specific tags applied in the north.

The EESC said that “unless tags are removed, this procedure is very impractical and could also have animal welfare implications”.

For cattle in England the international organisation for standardisation (ISO) code must be a GB tag. In Wales and Scotland, a GB tag or 826 can be used. Any type of tag may be used for this additional export tag, but it should be easily read from a distance.

European movement rules

The EESC opinion document also highlighted specific rules relating to the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK.

Livestock marts in Britain are required to be Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) approved export centres, so that all the animals being sold at the marts are at an equal health status.

The EESC has claimed that there is “little or no demand for APHA-approved export centres in the UK” and “at present only Carlisle is APHA-approved, leaving it to be the only mart Northern Ireland cattle can be sold and avail of the EU delegated regulation”.

This means that if animals from Northern Ireland are offered for sale at a mart that is not APHA approved, and are not sold, then they must remain in the UK for six months before returning to Northern Ireland, making it financially unviable for producers.

The post European spotlight on future movement of livestock to NI appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The global report, commissioned by Meat Business Women, details that 23% of board-level director roles are now held by women, up from 14% in 2020, while 32% of high-level leadership roles are also held by women – which is up from 22%.

The report launched today at the Meat Business Women UK & Ireland conference in London, also outlined that 32% of middle-manager roles are held by women which represents a 29% increase on 2020 figures.

The report is based on data collected from a number of sources including 50 major meat organisations employing almost 250,000 and survey responses from 400 women and men.

Laura Ryan, founder and global chair of Meat Business Women said: “The data tells us that inclusion is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather a necessity if the meat industry is to thrive in the years to come.

“Whilst there is greater disparity in the industry than there was in 2020, there is a huge opportunity for further pre-competitive working on best practice and key workforce policy issues.

“There has never been a more important time to remember that a rising tide lifts all boats.”

However the latest report also suggests that the gap between the most inclusive and the least inclusive meat businesses is widening.

The research highlighted that there is now female representation in 8% of chief executive roles which is up by 3% since 2020.

Overall however despite this progress, female representation in the global workforce has dropped to 33.5% which is down from 36% in 2020 and it has also fallen to 36% of the unskilled workforce from 40% in 2020.

According to the networking group, the report highlights progress against priority themes, with positive shifts in how the industry is perceived, “repaired rungs” in the senior-leadership career ladder, moving inclusion up the agenda and greater access to role models and networks.

Meat Business Women said its strategy has been “focused on shifting the dial” on the priority themes of industry perception and gender balance through global campaigns, role modelling, networking and mentoring.

The post New report shows more women in senior meat industry jobs appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

This type of marketplace is a declining retail trend in China as new retail channels such as online shopping and supermarkets grow their market share in the country.

Agriland is in Shanghai, China, as part of the Bord Bia trade mission led by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.

As part of a retail expedition around Shanghai today (Tuesday, May 16) Agriland paid a visit to a wet market to get a better understanding of how it operates and what products are on offer there.

The markets tend to do most of their trade early in the morning and everything from fish turtles, toads and eel to chicken feet, cattle stomach, beef tongue and pigs tails are all in demand at these wet markets.

Much of the produce is presented very differently here to conventional supermarkets with most poultry sold with heads and feet still on the carcass.

There were over 100 stalls at this particular wet market and each stall had something slightly different or unique to sell.

A look around the wet market:

The customer base is primarily local residents who buy the contents for their meals at these venues. However, the marketplace is becoming less popular with middle income young people in cities, many of whom now prefer to do their grocery shop online or at a supermarket.

Most of the foods on offer at the wet market were raw and the customer generally buys their required produce and cooks it at home themselves.

New retail trends such as bulk buying at the exclusive high-end retailer, Sam’s Place, is becoming more popular with more well-off Chinese residents and this, along with other supermarkets and online food stores are gaining market share from these traditional wet markets.

Stay tuned to Agriland for further updates from the trade mission to China.

The post Video: See inside a traditional wet market in Shanghai appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The only option for Manx farmers to export their produce off island to the United Kingdom (UK) and further afield is via sea, with the IOM government’s ferry the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

Currently, farmers are paying just under £5,000 per trip to take a livestock wagon out and arable farmers £50-£60/t on a trailer that carries 26t.

Route to markets

On the island, the main route to market for arable farmers growing milling wheat was Laxey Glen Mills, but the mill has refused to take in anymore grain for the next two years as its silos are full.

This was after the closure of Ramsey Bakery that took 80% of Laxey’s flour. The only remaining option for milling wheat producers is to export to the UK.

Ian Parsons, president of the Manx national farmers union (MNFU) said:

“Outside of what is used for animal feed on island, there is no route to market unless new accessible markets are found; it is very worrying for farming going forward.”

Beef and sheep farmers say they have had major issues with the government-owned meat plant, known as Isle of Man Meats.

The issue within the multi-species meat plant has not only been the amount of livestock it will take, but also when it will take them.

This left farmers with no choice but to export, as Rose Crellin explained:

“We would all like to support the meat plant and produce for local market, but the grim reality is you’re running a business and when stock is ready to go, it needs to go.”

The dairy sector on the Isle of Man is in a unique position compared to its counterparts as they send their liquid milk to Isle of Man Creamery which is a cooperative ran by 30 dairy farmers on island.

Although their route to market is stable, the Manx price was still lagging 10p behind during the period of high milk prices in the UK last year.

Meat plant

Last year the IOM government released a document called the ‘Burnie report’.

This report was an audit of the meat plant; the outcome from the report showed that the meat plant is operating at below average standards.

It stated that the “factory displays an overall malaise and in places, gross ineptitude”. The report added that “there are multiple problems and it will take an extended period of time to resolve them”.

The largest challenges at the factory related to the following areas according to the IOM Government:

• Fundamentally flawed sales model;
• Amount of management and financial information collected is much too low;
• Pace of operation of the plant is much too slow;
• Staff management and training programme is fundamentally flawed
• Adherence to regulation is poor;
• Factory process reveals an overall lack of attention to detail.

Clare Barber, the Isle of Man’s Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) said there has already been significant work at the meat plant with the health and safety elements being addressed first.

Minister Barber added: “We’ve recruited a new managing director within the plant. They will be starting mid-June and have a heavy sales and marketing background.

“I think that’s a really good news story, and although she is not starting until June, she has already been joining us for strategy meetings.”

Road haulage equivalency

The Manx National Farmers’ Union (MNFU) has stated that a ‘road haulage equivalency scheme’ similar to the road equivalent tariff (RET) in Scotland, would be a potentially sector-saving decision for Manx farmers to allow them to export products at an affordable rate.

The principle of RET is that ferry fares should be set on the basis of travelling an equivalent distance by road plus a fixed element aimed at cost recovery.

RET was intended to reduce the cost disadvantage faced by island communities and promote the islands as places to live, work, invest and conduct business.

The post Watch: Diminishing routes to market for Manx farmers appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Other fertilisers have followed suit, and prices are at their lowest since the war in Ukraine began. Agri-merchants in Laois have given a price of €590/t for urea and 18-6-12 has come in at €640/t.

According to Agriland sources, these prices are to ‘be taken with a pinch of salt’ as they are predicted to fall again in coming days.

Industry sources say most of the older, more expensive stock that had been imported into Ireland towards the end of 2022 has now been sold, which has allowed for the recent merchant price drop.

Others believe that it is ‘too little too late’, as the majority of farmers have already bought their fertiliser for the coming year at a higher price.

Across Ireland

At the end of last month, Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, said: “The price of fertiliser, and in particular the difference in prices across the country, is a real concern for farmers.

“According to the CSO [Central Statistics Office], Irish farmers paid more than 140% more for fertiliser last year compared to 2021.

“Much of the price rises across Europe in recent years have been driven by the rise in gas prices and the war in Ukraine,” the Tipperary deouty said.

Farmers were seeing a €100/t differential in fertiliser prices in the same county at the end of April between a smaller-scale merchant and a co-op, a farm organisation has warned.

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) had also warned that one key factor which continued to dominate price differentials in relation to fertiliser is location.

“The much cheaper fertiliser in Northern Ireland has been a key factor in driving significant price differences between border counties and southern counties.

Overseas prices

In the UK last year, prices of some fertilisers hit more than £1,000/t, but have since lowered to about £450/t.

Today (May 10), prices in the Isle of Man dropped to the lowest since the war in Ukraine began, with ammonium nitrate being quoted at £398/t.

The post CAN fertiliser falls below €500/t – a first since crisis appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

Since Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016, there have been years of debate on how to solve the question of whether there should be a border on land or down the Irish Sea, making extra headaches for agri-food producers in Northern Ireland.

Getting things to and from mainland UK has affected everyone living in Northern Ireland.

Businesses which had been dealing with suppliers and distributors for decades have had to find new ways of doing things.

Eileen Hall is the co-owner of Cavanagh Free-Range Eggs. They have a flock of 73,000 hens across four sites. The base is at their farm in Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh.

“We used to sell a lot of eggs over to the UK,” Eileen said.

“Pre-Brexit, we decided to stay more local because everything seemed to be a lot of hassle. Our home market was growing, so we decided to concentrate on it instead.

“Even getting ink for our previous printer was taking up to six weeks to come from the mainland in Europe and we were sweating a few times that it wouldn’t arrive in time, because it’s not something we can afford to be without.”

She explained that they decided to change to a different brand of printer, because the consumables supplier was based in Newry. This meant the team could get supplies as needed, instead of ordering well in advance of needing the product.

“Even that, there were no guarantees that they would arrive on time. It really depended on the customs and whether they would let it through or not, as ink is now classed as hazardous,” Eileen continued.

“Getting parts delivered from the mainland UK is another problem for us. They won’t deliver direct to Northern Ireland, so we have to order them and get them sent to our farm in Scotland, go over and fetch them and bring them back on the boat ourselves.

“If we weren’t over and back to the farm in Scotland, we just wouldn’t be able to get machinery supplies from the mainland. It’s just a small example of the extra headaches in getting stuff to and from the mainland in the UK and in Europe,” she added.

Brexit impact on Northern Ireland agri-food

Brexit and the failure to adopt the Windsor Framework have had a “shockingly bad effect on parts of our business”, according to another Northern Irish food business owner.

Richard Orr runs William Orr and Son Potato Growers in Raffrey, Co. Down where they grow, pack and distribute potatoes all across Northern Ireland.

They grow around 10 varieties including Home Guard and Dunluce for Comber Earlies, Queen’s and Maris Peer for mid-season and Navan, Maris Piper, Arran Victory, Dunbar Standard and Rooster for their main crop.

They also locally source potatoes from other growers.

“Probably the biggest problem is that we are not allowed to bring in any seed potatoes from Scotland anymore,” Richard said.

“We are allowed to grow seed from new stock and replant these the following year; we then must source new seed for each variety every season to renew our seed stock.

“Brexit in essence, has meant, we are now limited to sourcing all seeds from within Northern Ireland. Although Northern Ireland has a strong seed industry, some varieties are not grown here; also the volumes grown are not as big, reducing supply and increasing cost,” he remarked.

Red tape

Another major problem for the potato business is the paperwork according to Richard.

“For the ware potatoes coming from the mainland, we have to provide phytosanitary paperwork. That, added to the TSS [Trader Support Scheme] paperwork has meant that we have had to take on an extra member of staff purely to deal with the extra admin,” he stated.

He added that they have also had problems sourcing plant protection products since Brexit. UK suppliers can apply for licences to supply Northern Ireland companies, but it costs them extra and many do not supply anymore because the market is too small.

“It is also more difficult to get seeds for the barley and wheat we grow as part of our crop rotations,” Richard continued.

So, what would he like to see happen? “We would like to see a resolution of the problems with the Windsor Framework,” he said.

“Surely, the time has come to come to a centre ground and reach a compromise. Nothing is ever perfect, but for the sake of all business and the agriculture industry in particular this needs to be resolved.”

The post Agri-food Brexit impact: ‘Even printer ink was taking 6 weeks’ appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

ABP is giving visitors to the agricultural show the chance to win its trade stand, which this year is an agriculture shed. The food group is replacing its corporate marquee with a 21.6m x 15.2m multipurpose shed.

The company will host a prize draw where visitors get the chance to win the shed or a £20,000 cash prize, with all funds being raised for Rural Support’s Life Beyond programme.

ABP Northern Ireland managing director and chair of the Life Beyond steering group, George Mullan said: “ABP is a strong supporter of Northern Ireland’s largest farming community event, the Balmoral Show. We’ve been a platinum sponsor of the show for the past 10 years.

“Our company had been a patron of the bereavement support service Embrace Farm Ireland for a number of years. In 2021 we were delighted to lend our support to get a similar programme off the ground in Northern Ireland under the auspices of Rural Support.

“The donation of our show stand to Rural Support to help raise funds for the Life Beyond programme is a progression of that commitment,” he added.

Chief executive of Rural Support, Veronica Morris, added: “ABP [has] been [a] key supporter of the Life Beyond Programme since it began, and we can’t thank them enough for their continued commitment to supporting bereaved farming families in Northern Ireland.

“The money raised from this raffle will help these families to manage their circumstances and their feelings at these times of immense pressure and distress.” Morris added.

Rural Support Life Beyond

The Rural Support Life Beyond programme provides support for farming families across Northern Ireland who have experienced loss through farm accident, suicide, unexpected or expected death.

The programme, which was launched in August 2021, helps with farm business, financial and technical mentoring support, alongside emotional health, and bereavement counselling including trauma support.

All their support is given free of charge, with the aim of helping families to navigate their experiences and move forwards in their new normal.

This support operates alongside peer-to-peer group activities tailored for specific groups, e.g., widows/widowers; parents; siblings; family members; farm accident survivors and their families.

The post ABP to help farming charity with shed as prize at Balmoral Show appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), chief executive officer Nicole Hinder said the world first registration was good news for Australian wool growers.

“The APVMA has just completed another world-first registration—and I cannot help but shout it from … the woolsheds.

“It is with great pleasure, and a big nod to the APVMA team, that I can announce that the APVMA has approved a first-of-its-kind oral product containing fluralaner for lice control in sheep. The product is now available to the Australian market,” said Hinder.

This world-first registration controls isoxazoline-susceptible lice (Bovicola ovis), including strains resistant to synthetic pyrethroids and insect growth regulators on sheep and lambs with any length of wool.

Hinder believes this will be a game changer to significantly improving labour efficiency for Australia’s wool growers.

She added:

“To say I am proud of the APVMA team for pulling through on this assessment is an understatement. A world-first approval like this takes a huge amount of work from staff across the APVMA to get a registration like this across the line.

The APVMA considered an application from Intervet Australia Pty Limited for approval of the new product, Fluralaner 10 g/L Lousicide for Sheep, containing 10 mg fluralaner/mL, for oral administration to sheep.

The use of fluralaner on sheep had not previously been registered in Australia. Fluralaner is currently registered for oral administration to chickens via drinking water. Intervet is an MSD Animal Health entity.

Ruminant business unit lead for MSD, Jane Parker said that MSD Animal Health is pleased to confirm the registration of the new product to the Australian sheep market.

She said Fluralaner is Australia’s first oral sheep lice treatment that controls lice in any length of wool.

Parker added:

“We expect that sheep producers will consider this to be an innovative and breakthrough product.”

The post World’s first oral lice treatment for sheep registered appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

With 200 head of breeding cattle on offer, the sale was described by auctioneering company Harrison and Hetherington as “the largest on-farm sale in both the UK and Ireland by one consignor”.

The auctioneers described the pre-sale interest as “immense” and attributed this to “the reputation for quality and performance from the Jalex stable” being “at an all-time high”.

Taking the top price of £23,000 in the sale was crossbred Limousin in-calf heifer Tidy Dancer. The heifer’s sale price has broken all UK and Irish commercial in-calf records selling for £23,000.

Tidy Dancer was myostatin tested and carries 2 X NT821 genes.

The heifer was sired by Wilodge LJ out of a Powerhouse Elite ex-show heifer that goes back to a Ronick Hawk-sired hybrid heifer from a pedigree Belgian Blue cow.

The successful purchaser was Newtown Glen Farm, Cushendall, Co. Antrim and the buyers anticipate flushing the heifer early next year with a view to offering guaranteed pregnancies at some point.

The auctioneer on the day was James Little who was welcomed with bids from all sides of the packed sale ring in addition to a flurry of online bids.

Chasing this at £12,500 was an eye-catching maiden heifer BFF. This one had been destined for Balmoral Show but due to entries being cut, she was offered for sale.

Sired by the British Blue bull Imperial, this prospect was sold to Ivan Lynn and Sons, Armoy, Co. Antrim.

There was a full clearance at the sale with prices ranging from £2,200 to £23,000 with an average sale price of £3,436.

Buyers attended the sale from across the UK and Ireland in addition to the massive following online via MartEye.

In advance of the sale, the team at MartEye said there were 4,939 registered bidders approved for the Jalex Select Sale, with 44 lots sold online.

At the peak of the sale there were approximately 5,000 viewers tuned in watching from across the world.

James Alexander commented after the sale: “We would like to wish all of our purchasers the best of luck with their cattle.

“There was plenty of value throughout the auction as well as our headlining cattle, and we are confident that our heifers will perform well on their new farms.”

The post Commercial heifer hits record £23,000 at Jalex on-farm sale appeared first on Agriland.co.uk.

The cliché of the farmer’s wife making ‘pin money’ with pots of jam is a well-worn trope, but often it can lead to a new direction for a family farm.

Amanda Hanna from the north coast of Antrim and her husband, Arthur, farm on a 200-year-old dairy farm with 150 grass-fed dairy cows.

Milking takes up a large chunk of their time. Amanda says the milking parlour is her “favourite place to be” where she can “forget about everything she has to do”.

From dairy to jams

Amanda decided to stay at home after their third child and that was when she started making jams, preserves and chutneys calling them Jam at the Doorstep.

That was seven years ago. They were sold at a honesty box at the back door. “The name comes from that old tradition,” Amanda explained. Then as demand grew, they opened a small farm shop in November 2020.

Afternoon teas came next which are held in her farmhouse kitchen where she also does some events.

Cookery demonstrations take place from time to time at community centres and a nearby former flax mill, but what Amanda is also passionate about is her puddings. The Christmas pudding and a Sticky Toffee pudding have both won stars at the Great Taste Awards.

Work is ongoing on a new farm shop which they hope to open later in the year.

“I still help my husband, Arthur, milk the cows twice a day, but the orders and events make for a really nice variety in my life” she said.

Cooperation – Farm Foodies

Amanda recently joined forces with her friend Wendy Dempster who owns a street food truck called The Lamb Van. Wendy and her husband, Alan run a 50ac sheep farm.

She uses their Farm Quality Assured, grass-fed lamb in street food dishes like lamb sausage rolls and also sells fresh meat boxes.

Wendy has joined forces with Farmer Time to educate primary school children about lamb and how many different cuts there are, “apart from the leg which is the most well-known to them”, Wendy remarked.

Wendy and Amanda are part of a group are called The Farm Foodies.

“We want to bring the flavours of Co. Antrim to locals and neighbours through products, workshops and food experiences. There is also the convenience of delivery which makes it easier for people to support local and in turn support local farms,” Wendy explained.

“The social aspect is very important to us. We all grew up with the milkman and the bread van. This is a return to that way of shopping.

“It is not the only way people shop. We’re not pretending that it is, but people are liking the return to getting different things from different places and interacting more. The sense of community is key.

“We are open to new local food growers and makers joining us. We are committed to slow food and it makes absolute sense to eat in season and support the agri-food community. You get fresher produce, lower food miles and it tastes better, too,” Amanda added.

More diversification in Northern Ireland

Jams and chutneys are also the side hustle which has grown wings for Glen Black from Peggy’s Family Farm near Tandragee in Armagh. The family farm is still a working dairy farm, but he has now gone part-time to cope with demand.

The newest addition to the farm outbuildings is the “heshed” or jam kitchen.

“I used to make them in my home kitchen which served me well,” Glen explained. “But this new space was badly needed.

“I am now busy enough to have gone down to three days a week at my job, which is dealing with insurance claims at a veterinary practice.

“I do two other days growing and producing and one day at a market. It is a good work-life balance; it is perfect with a growing family,” Glen added.

Glen grows some vegetables in polytunnels and a glasshouse such as heritage tomatoes, pumpkins, onions, peppers, chard, garlic, sweet potatoes and chillies.

Leftover produce is sold in seasonal vegetable boxes which is a reversal of how it all started. He was growing vegetables and herbs during lockdown and selling in boxes.

The preserves were made with the glut to his granny’s recipes but fast forward a few years and the original glasshouse has been joined by two polytunnels where chillies and crops needing more heat are grown.

“I am enjoying creating new recipes with things that have never been grown on the farm before. My granny could only work with traditional ingredients like beetroot and carrots, but I like that I can add some new herbs and spices,” Glen continued.

“What started out very small has become an important part of our lives and our farming income.”

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Across the water in Britain, the R3 steer price increased for the 18th consecutive week last week, bringing the base price to the equivalent of just under €5.70/kg for an R3 grade bullock.

According to the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC), the average R3 steer price last week in the Republic of Ireland was €5.33/kg, which is 30c/kg (25.7p/kg) below the price in Northern Ireland.

This equates to a €102.46 (£89.95) differential on an R3 grade steer with a 350kg carcass. In the same week last year, the R3 steer price in the Republic of Ireland was 26c/kg (22.9p/kg) behind the same price in Northern, or €91.29 (£80.15) on a 350kg R3 steer carcass.

Irish beef cattle going north

Prime cattle imports for direct slaughter have not largely impacted the prime cattle kill in Northern Ireland in recent months, largely owing to the reduced availability of cattle for slaughter in the Republic of Ireland and a strong demand for Irish cattle from southern plants.

Last week there were 294 prime cattle moved from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland for direct slaughter in local processing plants.

This brings the total numbers of prime cattle exported from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland during the last eight weeks to 1,719 head.

These imports have accounted for approximately 3% of the total NI prime cattle throughput during the eight weeks ending April 22, 2023. This is a decline of 34 head on the corresponding period in 2022, when prime cattle imports totalled 1,753 head from the republic.

Cow numbers entering NI for direct slaughter increased by 94 head from the corresponding period during 2022, to total 796 head during the eight weeks ending April 22, 2023.

However, with the cow trade in the Republic of Ireland currently ahead of Northern Ireland, it is anticipated these numbers will decline correspondingly.

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The figures show that the ‘Total Income from Farming’ (TIFF) in Northern Ireland increased by 17.4% from £515 million in 2021 to £605 million in 2022.

TIFF represents the return on own labour, management input and own capital invested for all those with an entrepreneurial involvement in farming. It represents farm incomes measured at the sector level.

Figures relating to agricultural output in Northern Ireland have also seen increases. The total gross output for agriculture was 23% higher at £3.07 billion in 2022.

There was a 26% increase in the value of output from the livestock sector, while field crops increased by 31% and horticulture increased by 12%.

DAERA said dairying remains the largest contributor to the total value of Northern Ireland’s gross output at £1.13 billion in 2022 – an increase of 40% between 2021 and 2022.

The annual average farm-gate milk price increased by 41% to 44.5p/L while the volume of raw milk produced in Northern Ireland decreased by 0.6% to 2.5 billion litres.

Output values

The output value of cattle was 16% higher at £603 million in 2022. The total number of animals slaughtered increased by 9.3% in 2022, whereas the average carcass weights for clean and cull animals were 0.9% and 1.9% lower respectively. 

DAERA said these changes resulted in the volume of meat produced being 8% higher in 2022.  The average producer price for finished clean cattle was £4.17/kg in 2022 while the average producer price for cull animals was £3.15/kg.

These prices were 9% and 17% higher than their respective averages for 2021.

The value of output from sheep increased by 6% to £106 million in 2022. The total number of sheep slaughtered increased by 6% in 2022 whereas the average carcass weight increased by 0.8% to 22kg. 

Volume of sheep meat produced increased 7% in 2022. The average producer price decreased by 0.1% to £5.35/kg.    

The value of output in the poultry sector increased by 16% to £376 million in 2022 while the egg sector increased by 18% to £148 million.

The value of pig output also increased by 24% to £259 million. The poultry sector recorded a 6% decrease in its production volume for 2022, whereas the pigs and eggs sectors recorded a 4% and 5% increase in their respective production volumes when compared with their previous year levels.  

All intensive sectors recorded an increase in their producer prices for 2022 with poultry up 25%, eggs up 13%, and pigs up 19% when compared to the previous year.

The total output value for field crops increased by 31% in 2022 to £109 million. This was mainly as a result of increases in grain and potato prices in 2022, DAERA said.

The value of output for cereals increased by 35% to £64 million whereas the value of output for potatoes increased by 37% to £27 million. Output values for field crops are across a calendar year and include production from two harvests.  

The value of output recorded in the horticulture sector was higher year on year for 2022, at £96 million. Mushrooms and flowers are the main contributors to this sector in value terms, with a combined estimated output value of £57 million.

Inputs

The total value of gross inputs increased by 24% in 2022, to £2.18 billion. 

Feedstuff costs, which accounted for 54% of the total gross input estimate, increased by 22% to £1.18 billion in 2022.

There was a 1.3% decrease in the volume of feedstuffs purchased and a 24% increase in the average price paid per tonne.  

The total cost of fertilisers in 2022 increased by 109% with a 16% decrease in the volume purchased and a 148% increase in the average price paid per tonne.

Total machinery expenses increased by 31% to £208 million in 2022, mainly as a result of an 58% increase in the cost of fuel and oils, DAERA said.

Farm level incomes

Farm business income measured across all farm types is expected to increase from an average £43,100 in 2021/2022 to £47,305 in 2022/2023 – an increase of £4,205, or 10% per farm. 

Farm business income is expected to increase for dairy, pigs and mixed farm types between 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.

The increase is particularly marked for dairy farms with the higher raw milk price more than offsetting increases in input costs. 

Despite increases in output prices, it is forecast that the average income of pig producers in 2022/2023 is only marginally higher compared to the low levels experienced in 2021/2022, according to DAERA.

The farm incomes in cereal, cattle and sheep LFA (less favoured area) and cattle and sheep lowland are expected to fall by 33%, 66% and 54% respectively.

It is forecast that increases in cereal and beef prices are insufficient to offset the higher input costs for these farm types. 

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Spain’s secretary general for agriculture and food, Fernando Miranda, insisted on “urgent measures to alleviate the drought situation” at the EU council of agriculture and fisheries ministers in Luxembourg yesterday (Tuesday, April 25).

Miranda’s requests follow a letter sent the day before (Monday, April 24) by Minister Luis Planas to the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.

In his letter, Planas appealed to Wojciechowski to activate the crisis reserve fund of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to give aid to Spain’s farmers and growers during the drought conditions.

According to COAG, Spain’s largest farmers’ association, the drought has already impacted 60% of the Spanish countryside and has resulted in “irreversible losses” in more than 3.5 million hectares of cereals.

The technical services of the association said the situation is “worrisome and widespread” with the country’s rainfall at -18.8% below its normal average.

Aside from the impacts on its wheat and barley crops, COAG said livestock farmers in Spain are also feeling the impacts of the drought, as sheep farmers have had to resort to buying feed and fodder to maintain their animals.

Orders have been given in some parts of the country to stop the planting of industrial tomatoes and other vegetables like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower due to the lack of water supply and restrictions.

Miranda said Spain is monitoring the drought situation and its impacts on its farmers in order to come to a conclusion on the most appropriate solution.

He requested flexibility in the application of CAP emergency funds and asked that the modifications be made quickly in the face of the country’s “current difficulties”.

Temperature forecasts

Spain’s weather agency AEMET has today (Wednesday, April 26) warned that, since yesterday, the “entry of a mass of very warm and dry air has been taking place” and it is causing a rise in temperatures which will continue in the coming days.

Temperatures are forecast to reach values typically seen in summer, with maximum temperatures exceeding 30° in many places.

The weather agency said that Thursday (April 27) and Friday (April 28) will be the “high point” of this spell of high temperatures.

AEMET said temperatures on Thursday will exceed 30°/32° in a good part of the southern interior of the peninsula and may even reach 38° in the Guadalquivir Valley.

Minimum temperatures will also be abnormally high throughout the country, AEMET warned especially during the early hours of Thursday to Saturday in Andalusia, where locally there could be nights that do not see temperatures going below 20°.

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The study, which was published in the scientific journal eLife today (Tuesday, April 25), indicates that farmed pigs and chickens could harbour large reservoirs of cross-resistant bacteria, capable of fuelling future epidemics.

Furthermore, The evolution of colistin resistance 1 increases bacterial resistance to host antimicrobial peptides and virulence study demonstrated that evolution of such cross-resistant bacteria is not only possible – but highly likely.

Prof. Craig MacLean of the University of Oxford’s department of biology said: “Our study clearly shows that anthropogenic use of antimicrobial peptides such as colistin can drive the accidental evolution of resistance to the innate immune system of humans and animals.

“This has major implications for the design and use of therapeutic antimicrobial peptides and suggests that resistant genes may be difficult to eradicate, even if antimicrobial peptide use in agriculture is withdrawn.”

According to researchers, cross-resistance to human antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is likely to be widespread, given that AMPs tend to have similar cellular targets.

Pigs and chickens in agriculture are already known to act as important reservoirs of colistin-resistant E.coli, researchers warned.

Cóilín Nunan, scientific advisor to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, said the study has shown that colistin resistance is “probably even more dangerous than previously thought”.

“It is astonishing that so many governments, like the UK’s, are refusing to ban colistin use in farming,” he said.

“It is also remarkable that the British government is still opposed to banning preventative mass medication of intensively farmed animals with antibiotics, even though the EU banned such use over a year ago.”

Key findings

In the study, researchers exposed E.coli carrying an MCR gene (MCR-1) to AMPs that are known to play important roles in immunity in chickens, pigs and humans.

The bacteria were also tested for their susceptibility to human serum, which contains a complex cocktail of antimicrobial compounds, and for their ability to infect wax moth larvae.

On average, the MCR-1 gene increased resistance to host AMPs by 62%, compared with bacteria lacking the gene. This increased resistance provided a strong selective advantage to the MCR-1 gene in the presence of AMPs.

Similarly, E.coli carrying MCR-1 were at least twice as resistant to being killed by human serum.

“Our results provide strong evidence that we will need to properly assess the impacts of resistance to new therapeutic AMPs on bacterial virulence before they are used to treat patients,” McLean said.

“If not, we will run the risk of accidentally arming pathogenic bacteria against our own immune system.”

McLean warned that the study clearly shows that the current use of antimicrobial peptides like colistin can drive the revolution of resistance to the innate immune system of humans and animals.

“This has major implications for the design and use of therapeutic antimicrobial peptides and suggests that resistant genes may be difficult to eradicate, even if antimicrobial peptide use in agriculture is withdrawn,” he said.

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The award aims to recognise the UK’s top-performing British Friesian herd. The Inch herd is owned and cared for by a partnership of the Cleland and Morrison families.

Today, there are 30 elite milkers in the herd, which predominantly consists of British Friesians, with some Swedish Reds. The Inch herd has been ranked as the top herd in the UK for Profitable Lifetime Index (PLI) for the past three years.

The British Friesian portion of the herd is currently averaging 8,343kg of milk at 4.87% butterfat and 3.62% protein, with 61% of the British Friesian milkers in their fifth lactation or more.

Calving interval over a six-year average is 368 days and 60% of the milking herd is classified ‘excellent’ (EX) with the rest achieving ‘very good’, and one exception of GP83.

The Inch herd

The partnership between the Cleland and the Morrison families sees James and Sarah Cleland manage the milking herd at the home farm, while Jim and Jeannie Morrison care for the young bulls and heifers at their base which is five miles away.

Milking production began at Inch in 1949 when Tom and Marion Morrison bought Dairy Shorthorns before introducing three British Friesian heifers three years later.

Although these heifers averaged £200/head, when land prices were £100/ac, they proved to be an exceptional investment and have bred over 3,000 animals registered to the Inch prefix, European breed society Holstein UK has said.

The Morrisons were one of the first families to embrace Holstein genetics in the 1970s, according to Holstein UK, and under the management of Tom’s two sons, Jim and Frank, numerous quality-cattle were produced.

This includes Inch Star Nina EX, the first Irish National Holstein Show Champion, who went on to sell for the record price of 6,500gns before she went on to become Winter Fair Champion for her new owners.

More recently, the Inch Holsteins became the current Northern Irish Premier Holstein Small Herd. They are also two-time winners of both the national Premier Herd Competition and the Master Breeder award.

After almost 50 years of breeding Holsteins, the Morrison family revisited the British Friesian bloodlines with the result being an “impressive hybrid”, Holstein UK said.

One particular cow, Inch Jed Daphne EX93 (4) 40 star, started the Friesian line and bred the only cow in the herd book to classify EX 12 times.

A simple grass-based system suits the herd well with buffer feeding of silage and concentrates fed in the parlour. The partnership currently has 15 bulls at leading artificial insemination (AI) studs, plus many more bred to Holstein herds providing hybrid vigour.

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The council said the boost in sales has materialised as a result of the completion of a round of EU and DCNI-funded programmes implemented in two tranches over the last six years.

The programmes received investment in marketing support to the value of £2.6 million, driving sales in Saudi Arabia; the United Arab Emirates (UAE); China; Taiwan; Indonesia; South Korea; Malaysia; Thailand; and Japan.

Dairy Council for Northern Ireland

Chief executive of the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, Mike Johnston, said that while the programme is concluding, its legacy will provide for future opportunities for the industry.

“We had confidence in these export programmes from the outset,” he said.

“As structured with both outward and inward missions, they ensured potential customers got to see first-hand the professionalism and efficiency of Northern Ireland’s dairy industry and the high EU standards to which the dairy sector here operates as they walked the entire NI dairy supply chain.

“However, even our own projections were exceeded with the programme demonstrating a return of investment of 21.3:1; bringing remarkable value and establishing long-term relationships upon which trading channels between Northern Ireland and international markets can continue to thrive.”

Johnston said the support and assistance offered by agencies and organisations across the sector made success possible in the face of restrictions on programmes by Covid-19 in their final years.

“While the programmes did not stop entirely during the Covid-19 era, restrictions did mean a delay with the postponement of both outward and inward missions,” he said.

“Throughout we have received invaluable support and assistance from our colleagues at DAERA (the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs), FSA (Food Standards Agency), CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise) and the Institute for Global Food Security at QUB (Queen’s University Belfast).

“We are grateful to them and to everyone along the supply chain who helped us in highlighting its integrity and robustness, giving new overseas customers the confidence and trust to source their dairy products from Northern Ireland, thereby supporting our core aim of generating sales and, ultimately, contributing to the wider economy.”

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The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has said that over 90% of claims made in 2022 were paid today (Monday, April 17).

The remaining claims will be processed and payments issued as soon as possible following validations, it added.

EFS payments and claims

The EFS is a five-year agreement that supports farmers and land managers to carry out a range of environmental measures.

EFS claims must be made on the annual Single Application during each of the five years of the agreement.

Participants must also confirm the work that has been completed as part of the agreement at the end of the first year of participation.

EFS participants must submit a claim each year on their Single Application and the claims window for EFS 2023 opened on April 6.

However, some agreements are being updated to reflect changes that agreement holders have told the department about or after inspections, but DAERA has said that all EFS agreement holders will be able to claim by April 28.

Online training for EFS agreement holder whose agreements started on January 1, which is compulsory, is now available. This must be completed by November 30, 2023.

The department is also reminding submitting a year 1 claim are reminded that a compulsory Claim Confirmation will be required in December this year.

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One of the farmers, Alan McFarland (61) of Ballagh Road, Clogher was convicted at Dungannon Magistrates Court of one charge of failure to notify the movement of cattle off his holding, one charge of obstructing a DAERA inspector and three charges of failure to notify the movement or birth of cattle onto his holding.

Alan McFarland was also convicted at the Tyrone court (Friday, April 14) of one charge of failure to attach an approved ear tag to an animal, one charge of failure to notify the birth of an animal, one charge of failure to present veterinary medicine records and one charge of failure to present a herd register.

Alan McFarland was fined £2600, he also received a 12-month conditional discharge on the obstruction charge plus a £15 offender levy.

The case against Alan McFarland arose following a cattle identification inspection carried out by DAERA’s welfare and enforcement branch.

Magistrates court

Meanwhile Robert McFarland (29) of Kell Road, Clogher was convicted at Dungannon Magistrates Court (Friday, April 14) of one charge of using an ear tag to identify an animal which had already been used to identify another animal.

Robert McFarland was fined £500 plus a £15 offender levy.

The case against Robert McFarland arose following a cattle identification inspection carried out by DAERA’s welfare and enforcement branch.

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According to the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) poultry and bird owners may let their birds out in open areas from April, 18 while the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland has also confirmed that the housing order will be lifted on the same day.

However DAFM has said that specific enhanced biosecurity requirements will remain in place to ensure that poultry or other captive birds cannot come into contact with wild birds.

DAERA has also confirmed that avian influenza prevention zone mandatory biosecurity measures will remain in force for all birds in Northern Ireland and all poultry gatherings remain banned.

One of the UK’s largest animal charities, the RSPCA, has welcomed the lifting of the compulsory housing order.

Dr Kate Norman, the RSPCA’s poultry expert said:

“We’d like to reassure farmers that the risk level for bird flu has reduced significantly and we’re pleased that the current housing order has now been lifted, so free range birds can get back outside and fully enjoy exhibiting their natural behaviours.

“However, we understand this is a big change for both birds and  farmers, and there may still be some concerns about the risk. However, strict biosecurity measures will remain firmly in place to help protect birds from the disease”.

She has urged farmers to “encourage” their birds outside and ensure they minimise any potential stress for the birds

“Providing birds with outdoor access gives them the freedom to express a greater range of natural behaviours.

“However, given birds have been kept indoors for the last five months, and therefore haven’t been used to going outside, they may initially express signs of fear and stress when the popholes are first opened. This could, for example, lead to issues such as feather pecking or the birds may not choose to go outside at all,” Dr Norman added.

According to RSPCA Assured – the charity’s farm animal welfare assurance scheme – farmers can minimise any fear or stress for birds by;

• Providing shelters and structures around popholes to create a ‘corridor’ acting as a transition to the outside;
• Areas to dustbathe;
• Plenty of natural cover and enrichment close to the popholes which will encourage the birds outside;
• Creating windbreaks for any exposed areas;
• Ensure any wet areas of land or standing water are fenced off;
• Creating key resource areas outside the popholes such as dry dustbathing locations and perching structures;
• Providing a good surface outside the popholes to prevent poaching and maintain clean dry litter inside;
• Practising excellent litter management and enrichment inside.

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