Midland Farmer - July 2023

MIDLAND 

FARMER 

JULY 2023 

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2 TOPIC • 6 July, 2023 

MIDLAND FARMER 

‘People feel like they 

have no representation’ 

Rural Ireland raises its concerns 

People from rural Ireland as well 

as from towns and cities across 

the country have voiced various 

concerns with the recently launched 

Farmers’ Alliance. 

“Mainly farmers, but also people 

from other professional 

backgrounds including business 

people from both urban and 

rural Ireland have reached out 

to the group,” Helen O’Sullivan 

said. 

“Everyone the group has spoken 

to and everyone that has 

rang or made contact with its 

members all seem to be wanting 

the same thing – a new political 

party,” she added. 

Speaking to Agriland, the 

newly appointed spokesperson 

for the Farmers’ Alliance said: 

“A lot of these people feel let 

down, that they have no representation 

at all.” 

“They just feel that there is no 

one working on their behalf, 

especially the farmers with the 

whole rewetting and rewilding 

thing at the moment.” 

“The issue of climate change 

seems to be “solely focused on 

farmers”, O’Sullivan, who said 

she knows what they are facing 

as a suckler farmer in west 

Cork. 

“We have a lot of farmers coming 

to us and they are concerned. 

They don’t know will it 

be there for their family to take 

over in a number of years’ time 

because of all those new laws 

coming in, all the red tape. 

“That’s a huge concern at the 

moment because they are worried, 

they have invested huge 

amounts of money into their 

farms, their own livelihood and 

that of their children.” 

“We all need food, everybody 

needs food. The population is 

growing. Where do they expect 

the food to come from?” the 

newly appointed spokesperson 

said. 

FARMERS’ ALLIANCE 

Over the past months Farmers’ 

Alliance has been collaborating 

with people, holding meetings 

nationwide with a view to forming 

a political party. 

“We don’t want to rush into 

anything because it has to be 

right. We want to take everyone’s 

ideas into consideration 

and everyone’s request,” she 

said. 

“There is a whole array of people 

there from all over the country 

both urban and rural so we 

want to make sure we have this 

right with more meetings lined 

up,” she added. 

Commenting that it is not just 

people in rural Ireland that are 

“fed up” and “want something 

new” with costs “soaring 

through the roof”. 

“I have people crying on the 

phone to me and they don’t 

know what they are going to do 

going forward because every 

week something has gone up in 

price. A lot of them are worried 

about having food on the table 

for their family.” 

The Farmers’ Alliance aims to 

be a voice for both farmers and 

consumers and to address “problematic 

issues that may 

threaten” Ireland’s indigenous 

industry. 

The group has been in consultation 

with a number of TDs, 

businesses and interested parties 

and have received a very 

positive responses. 

How the climate change 

agenda will effect the agriculture 

industry will be of major 

interest for the group, which 

also hopes to “bridge the gap 

between urban and rural 

dwellers. 

“We are listening to people 

from all backgrounds everywhere. 

The best way going forward, 

which we know, is a 

political party,” the newly 

appointed spokesperson for the 

Farmers’ Alliance said. 

Food and live animal exports worth €4.5bn 

The value of food and live animal 

exports reached €4.5 billion 

in the first four months of 

the year, according to the Central 

Statistics Office (CSO). 

This figure is up from the 

almost €4.1 billion of exports 

between January and April of 

2022. 

€1.5 billion worth of food 

and live animal exports were 

sent to other EU member 

states in the four months up to 

the end of April. €1.2 billion of 

exports went to Britain and 

€555 million worth of food and 

live animals were sent to 

Northern Ireland. The export 

value to the US stood at €270 

million, while it was €190 million 

to China and €723 million 

to the rest of the world. 

The CSO data shows that the 

value of imports of food and 

live animal in the first four 

months of the year stood at 

€3.2 billion, up from €2.8 billion 

in the same period in 

2022. Over €1 billion of the 

imports came from the EU27, 

€667 million from Britain and 

€447 million from Northern 

Ireland. 

€135 million worth of food 

and live animal imports came 

from the US, €35 million from 

China and €516 million from 

the rest of the world. The data 

also shows that the food and 

live animal exports were 

worth €757 million in April, 

up from €720 million in the 

same month in 2022. 

Commenting on the Goods 

Exports and Imports March 

2023 data, Ciarán Counihan, 

statistician in the CSO International 

Trade in Goods Division 

said: “In April 2023, 

Ireland’s unadjusted exports 

of goods decreased by €2.1 billion 

to €15.1 billion compared 

with April 2022. When seasonally 

adjusted, exports of goods 

fell by over €300 million compared 

with March 2023.” 

“The unadjusted imports for 

April 2023 were valued at €11.4 

billion, an increase of €80 million 

on April 2022. Seasonally 

adjusted imports were €12.1 

billion in April 2023.” 

“Comparing the first four 

months of 2023 with the same 

period in 2022, exports of 

goods were down 5%, and the 

value of imports increased by 

11%. Exports for the first four 

months of 2023 were almost 

€66 billion. 

“Imports from Great Britain 

fell by 9% to €1.9 billion in 

April 2023 compared with 

April 2022. Exports to Great 

Britain fell by 22% to €1.2 billion 

in April 2023 from April 

2022,” he said. 

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TOPIC • 6 July, 2023 

Factory prices described as 

‘devastating’ for beef farmers 

The Irish Cattle and 

Sheep Farmers’ Association 

(ICSA) has 

described factory beef 

prices as having a 

“devastating effect at 

farm level”. 

ICSA Beef chair 

Edmund Graham has 

warned meat factories 

that their “continued 

assault” on 

beef prices is also 

causing immense 

frustration among 

farmers. 

“The situation with 

beef prices has 

reached a tipping 

point. Producing beef 

only to get hammered 

by the processors and 

come out making a 

loss is completely 

unsustainable,” Graham 

said. 

“The power the 

processors wield has 

never been more evident 

as they continue 

to offer prices that 

simply do not reflect 

the actual cost of production,” 

he added. 

The ICSA chair said 

that there doesn’t 

seem to be an 

acknowledgement of 

the challenges beef 

farmers have faced 

over the last year 

with the rising cost of 

inputs. 

“It has never been 

more costly to produce 

beef and the 

lack of any recognition 

of that fact has 

created a tinderbox 

situation out there,” 

he continued. 

Graham said factories 

must refrain 

from any further 

price cuts. “The 

recently published 

Teagasc National 

Farm Survey for 2022 

shows just how little 

the average beef 

farmer is making,” he 

said. 

He explained that 

Teagasc put the basic 

cost of production at 

€6/kg, even though 

farmers 

are 

“expected” to accept 

prices such as €5/kg. 

“Adding insult to 

injury is the fact that 

factories had encouraged 

farmers to feed 

cattle for May and 

June,” Graham said. 

“A tipping point has 

been reached; there is 

Midlands farm recognised for 

highest quality milk production 

literally no more they 

can take from farmers 

and still expect 

them to produce.” 

Agriland.ie recently 

reported that factory 

quotes for finished 

bullocks (steers) have 

fallen by over 35c/kg 

in the past 10 weeks 

and quotes for P- 

grade cows have 

fallen by as much as 

80c/kg in the same 

time period. 

However, while Irish 

beef prices have 

fallen substantially, a 

look at the Bord Bia 

beef market tracker 

shows the Irish composite 

price still 

remains above the 

export benchmark 

price. Last week, 

heifers were being 

quoted at prices ranging 

from €4.95-5.05/kg 

on the grid with some 

outlets opening 

quotes at €4.90/kg on 

the grid for heifers. 

Steers are being 

quoted at prices ranging 

from €4.90-5.00/kg 

on the grid with some 

outlets opening 

quotes at the lower 

rate of €4.85/kg. 

Shed-finished cattle 

supplies are being 

prioritised and are 

still filling a significant 

part of most 

processors’ weekly 

kill sheets. Over the 

coming few weeks, 

supplies of grass-finished 

cattle are 

expected to form the 

largest part of the 

weekly kills at most 

sites. 

Cow prices are 

falling across the 

board but there is 

variation of up to 

50c/kg in cow quotes 

between processors. 


EPA urges agri-food sector to 

sign new food waste charter 

The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) has urged agri-food 

businesses across the country to 

sign up to its new food waste charter. 

Businesses signing up to the 

charter, which was officially 

launched last Thursday, June 29, 

voluntarily commit to measure 

their food waste, set targets and 

take action to reduce food waste, 

and to report annually on 

progress. 

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770,000t of food waste across primary 

production; manufacturing 

and processing; distribution and 

retail; restaurants and food services; 

and households. 

Households accounted for 31% of 

the food waste produced, followed 

by the manufacturing and processing 

sector with 29%. 

Ireland has committed to reducing 

food waste by 50% by the end of 

this decade, in line with the United 

Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development 

Goals. 

Minister Heather Humphreys presents Kieran Duffy and his son 

Conor, together with farm staff member Colin Shorthall with the 

highly commended runners-up award in the >500,000 litre 

producer category of the Lakeland Dairies Milk Quality Awards. 

Also pictured is Colin Kelly, Group CEO (left) and Niall Matthews, 

Chairman of Lakeland Dairies (right). 

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Farmers advised 

to find out quality 

status of local rivers 

Farmers to get satellite 

inspection notifications 

Farmers have been 

advised by Teagasc to 

find out the water 

quality status of their 

local rivers to mitigate 

phosphorus, sediment 

and nitrogen 

losses to waters. 

By finding out the 

water quality of 

rivers, Teagasc 

advised that farmers 

would then be able to 

“select the right measure 

in the right 

place” for mitigation. 

It recommended the 

use of pollution 

impact potential (PIP) 

maps to identify the 

critical source areas 

(CSAs) for mineral 

losses and to highlight 

the overland 

flow pathways. 

Farmers have been 

advised to ensure 

slurry, soiled water, 

dairy washings, 

silage effluent and 

farmyard manure collection, 

and storage 

facilities meet regulatory 

requirements. 

Contractors are 

advised to be made 

aware of the locations 

of CSAs, watercourses, 

drains, etc., 

on farms, and ensure 

appropriate buffers 

are kept when spreading 

organic manures 

or spraying pesticides. 

Adherence to best 

practice when dipping 

sheep, to minimise 

the risk of dip 

entering the river 

drainage network, 

was also suggested. 

The Department of Agriculture, 

Food and the 

Marine (DAFM) has 

announced that it will be 

sending notifications to 

around 4,750 farmers arising 

from satellite farm 

inspections. 

The Area Monitoring 

System (AMS) is mandatory 

across all EU member 

states since January 1, 

this year, as part of the 

new Common Agricultural 

Policy (CAP) to monitor 

compliance with farm 

scheme criteria. 

This year, the department 

will be using AMS 

satellite systems for the 

Basic Income Support for 

Sustainability (BISS); 

Areas of Natural Constraint 

(ANC); Protein Aid 

Scheme (PAS) and Straw 

Incorporation Measure 

(SIM). AMS findings may 

impact payments for other 

area-based schemes such 

as the Eco-Scheme and the 

Complementary Income 

Support for Young Farmers 

(CIS-YF). 

The first round of AMS 

notifications began issuing 

to scheme applicants 

from Monday, June 26. 

These notifications relate 

to the potential presence 

of artificial surfaces such 

as buildings, farmyard 

extensions and farm roadways, 

in land parcels. 

Farmers and their authorised 

advisor will be notified 

where the AMS 

categorises a land parcel 

as ‘red’ through agfood.ie. 

Where an applicant is 

signed up for text message 

alerts, a text will issue to 

advise them that they have 

a notification on their 

BISS account. 

Only applicants with 

“red parcels” will receive a 

notification, the department 

said. Farmers will be 

asked to respond within 

two weeks of the notification 

being received. Applicants 

with an AMS 

notification have the 

option to withdraw, partially 

withdraw or amend 

their scheme application 

up to October 2, 2023, without 

incurring a penalty. 

“DAFM’s advice to farmers 

is to engage with the 

department either themselves 

through Agfood or 

through their advisor if in 

receipt of an AMS notification 

of a potential 

error.” 

“DAFM intends to hold a 

number of farmer clinics 

around the country from 

the middle of August to 

help farmers who receive 

AMS notifications. 

“These clinics will be 

advertised well in 

advance,” a department 

spokesperson said. 

“Further notifications 

from DAFM will issue to 

applicants in mid-August 

and mid-September with a 

deadline for reply of October 

2, 2023.” 

“These notifications will 

be for potential differences 

in crop categories, ineligible 

land uses and further 

potential artificial surfaces,” 

they added. 

The numbers of farmers 

to be notified for potential 

differences in crop categories, 

ineligible land 

uses, and further potential 

artificial surfaces will not 

be known until later in the 

year. 

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EU Commission proposes €9.5m 

support package for Irish farmers 

The European Commission has 

proposed to allocate over €9.5 

million to Irish farmers. 

It is part of a support package 

worth €330 million for 22 EU 

member states to help farmers 

impacted by adverse climate 

events, high input costs and market 

and trade-related issues. 

Ireland will be among the 

member states to benefit from 

this exceptional support from 

the Common Agricultural Policy 

(CAP). The commission said that 

countries may complement this 

EU support up to 200% with 

national funds. 

The measure will be voted by 

member states at the next meeting 

of the EU committee for the 

common organisation of agricultural 

markets. 

If approved, national governments 

will distribute this EU aid 

directly to farmers to compensate 

them for financial losses 

caused by market disturbances, 

high input prices and “rapidly 

falling agricultural product 

prices”. 

The funding can also be used to 

help farmers whose lands were 

damaged by recent climate 

events, such as extreme flooding 

in Italy and drought in Spain. 

The EU has also approved a 

separate €100 million support 

package for farmers in Bulgaria, 

Hungary, Poland, Romania and 

Slovakia, which was proposed in 

early May. This followed concerns 

by the countries about the 

impact of produce from Ukraine 

on domestic markets. 

“Farmers from these five member 

states are facing issues 

related to logistical bottlenecks 

following large imports of certain 

agri-food products from 

Ukraine,” the Commission said. 

“Exceptional and temporary 

preventive measures on imports 

of a limited number of products 

from Ukraine entered into force 

on May 2, and will be phased out 

by September 15, 2023.” 

The EU Commission said that 

payments for both support packages 

should be made to farmers 

by December 31, 2023. 

Member states will have to 

notify the commission of how 

the funds are to be allocated. 

In addition to this direct financial 

support, the commission is 

proposing to allow higher 

advance payments of CAP 

funds. 

Up to 70% of direct payments 

and 85% of rural development 

payments related to area and 

animals and could be available 

to farmers as of mid-October to 

improve their cashflow situation. 

It is proposed that member 

states could amend their CAP 

Strategic Plans to redirect CAP 

funds towards investments to reestablish 

production in the wake 

European Agriculture Commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski 

of adverse climate events. 

EU Commissioner for Agriculture, 

Janusz Wojciechowski said 

that farmers are among the first 

to be impacted by the climate, 

economic and geopolitical 

crises. 

“Despite the liquidity issues 

and difficulties faced, particularly 

acute in certain sectors and 

member states, EU agricultural 

producers keep working every 

day to provide safe and quality 

food products. 

“They deserve our support and 

our recognition. Today, the European 

Commission is again stepping 

up its financial aid to 

support EU farmers from all 

around the EU. National funds 

can also complement this support,” 

he said. 

The European Commission 

already adopted a €500 million 

support package for farmers in 

March 2022. 


5 

Cattle 

slaughterings 

down by 

nearly 4% 

compared to 

2022 

The number of cattle 

slaughtered in the 

first five months of 

this year is down by 

3.9% compared to the 

same period in 2022, 

according to the Central 

Statistics Office 

(CSO). 

Figures released last 

week show that 

between January and 

May, sheep slaughterings 

increased by 

3.6% on the same 

period in 2022. 

The number of pigs 

slaughtered fell by 

10.8% when compared 

with the same five 

months in 2022. When 

the data for May 2023 

is compared with May 

2022, cattle slaughterings 

contracted by 

2,600 head or 1.7% to 

just over 152,000. 

The number of 

sheep slaughtered 

rose by 12,373 (5.2%) 

to nearly 249,000 in 

May 2023 compared to 

the same month last 

year, while pig slaughterings 

dropped by 

10.1% in the year to 

288,192. 

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6 MIDLAND FARMER 


Potato prices double in 12 months 

Irish potato prices have doubled 

over the past 12 months, according 

to a Dublin-based fresh produce 

supplier. 

Justin Leonard is the owner of a 

fresh fruit and vegetable supply 

business, working with catering 

outlets throughout the Leinster 

region. 

He explained: “Last summer’s 

drought created a major shortage 

in potato supplies right across 

Europe. 

“Here in Ireland potato growers 

had also come under pressure on 

the back of fast rising fertiliser 

and energy costs. 

“The electricity costs associated 

with the climate-controlled storage 

of potatoes represent a significant 

component of the budgets 

required to produce ware potatoes 

in any normal year.” 

“But, obviously, these figures 

increased dramatically during the 

2022/2023 season. This was a direct 

result of the increased energy 

costs impacting on the Irish economy 

as a whole,” he added. 

February of this year saw an 

opportunity for Irish growers to 

service the market for potatoes in 

Portugal and across southern 

Europe. 

“Obviously, growers took the 

opportunity that was presented to 

them,” Leonard stressed. 

“But the end result was a critical 

shortage of potatoes for the Irish 

market. Currently, potatoes cannot 

be sourced from any region of 

Europe. Last year’s crop has now 

been fully utilised. The end result 

has been a doubling of potato 

prices, year-on-year.” 

“The 2023 planting season across 

mainland Europe was very badly 

affected by floods and extremes of 

weather during the months of 

March and April,” Leonard continued. 

“And poor weather also played 

its part here in disrupting the 

plans of Irish potato growers. The 

very wet weather of March and 

April meant that farmers could 

not get main crops planted out 

until the end of May.” 

In a normal year, it is expected 

that Irish ware potato crops will 

be in full leaf by the summer solstice. 

“This will not happen in 2023,” 

Leonard confirmed. 

“As a result, there is a strong 

likelihood of 2023 potato yields 

being well back on normal levels. 

The potato sector is facing up to a 

real crisis at the present time. The 

poor weather earlier in the year is 

responsible for the fact that very 

few earlies have been lifted up to 

this point. 

“Europe is probably looking at a 

second, successive year of reduced 

potato supplies.” 

Leonard said that he expects the 

potato price in shops and supermarkets 

to rise as a result. 

“But at a certain point consumers 

will switch away from 

potatoes and start looking at pasta 

and rice as alternatives,” he said. 

“This is the last thing we need, 

given the tremendous work that 

has been put in by many organisations 

over the last number of 

years in profiling the nutritional 

benefits of Irish potatoes.” 

Irish potato prices have doubled over the past 12 months, according to fresh produce merchant, Justin Leonard 

Dublin Road, Granard, Co. Longford N39 DD30 

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Ireland yet to make final decision 

on reusing treated wastewater 

Ireland has yet to make a 

final decision on whether to 

allow the reuse of treated 

wastewater for irrigation in 

the country as the EU has 

introduced a new regulation 

on the matter. 

New standards for the safe 

reuse of treated wastewater 

in agricultural irrigation are 

entering into force across 

most of the EU, with the regulation 

seeking to encourage 

the sustainable use of water. 

The water reuse regulation 

sets common minimum water 

quality requirements for the 

safe reuse of treated urban 

wastewater in agricultural 

irrigation. 

The new rules will help 

farmers gain access to more 

sources of clean water for 

irrigation, considered essential 

as a result of recurrent 

droughts, and to increase 

transparency. 

Commissioner for the Environment, 

Oceans and Fisheries, 

Virginius Sinkevicius, 

said: “Water is a precious 

resource that is becoming 

more and more scarce.” 

“Just as we are increasingly 

reusing other materials and 

rare commodities, urban 

wastewater can be successfully 

treated with the available 

technologies. That opens 

many possibilities for farmers 

who can use such 

reclaimed water safely for 

irrigation.” 

“With these new standards, 

consumers and farmers can 

be confident in the quality 

and safety of agricultural 

produce irrigated with 

reclaimed water,” he said. 

The EU has said: “The rules 

of the regulation will apply in 

all member states except 

those that have decided to 

make use of a regulatory optout 

clause.” 

Water reuse is commonly 

and successfully practised in 

several EU member states, 

including: Cyprus; France; 

Greece; Italy; Malta; Portugal; 

Spain, as seen in the map. 

Some member states, where 

freshwater resources are 

abundant and irrigation 

demand is low, have planned 

not to allow water reuse for 

irrigation in their countries, 

such as Finland, Poland, Austria 

and Croatia. 

Some member states have 

not yet made a final decision, 

as resource and infrastructure 

costs are still being evaluated, 

such as Ireland and 

Denmark. While water reuse 

is already successfully used 

in some member states, only 

2.4 % of the total treated 

urban wastewater is being 

reused in the EU. 

Some member states reuse 

as much as 89% of treated 

wastewater, while most use 

very little or none at all. 

The map illustrates where in the EU-27 it is allowed to practice water reuse for agricultural irrigation 

(June 2023), based on whether member states plan to invoke Article 2 (2) of the water reuse 

regulation. Source: Water.Europa.eu 

Water reuse is allowed 

Water reuse is generally allowed 

Water reuse is not allowed 

Final decision is not available 


7 

Calf 

registrations 

surpass two 

million for 

2023 

The total number of 

calf registrations on 

Irish farms has surpassed 

two million for 

2023, based on Irish 

Cattle Breeding Federation 

(ICBF) data. 

Based on the data, a 

total of 2,023,550 

calves have been registered 

on Irish farms 

for the year to date. 

This is slightly 

behind the same 

period for 2022, when 

at this stage 2,042,476 

calves had been registered. 

The one-million 

mark for registrations 

was achieved in 

March, with the data 

very much showing 

that a spring-calving 

system is operated by 

the majority of farmers. 

A total of 2,409,981 

calves were registered 

on Irish farms in 2022, 

meaning that from 

July onwards, only 

around 350,000 calves 

were born on farms. 

For the week ending 

June 23, 2023, based 

on the ICBF data, a 

total of 21,605 calves 

were registered on 

Irish farms. 

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Mullingar Agricultural Show 

Mullingar Agricultural Show on 9 July will be best show ever 

It’s all systems go for 

the 2023 Mullingar 

Agricultural Show as 

this year the show is set 

to be better than ever. 

The Mullingar Show - 

grounds at Culleen is in 

the process of being 

transformed for Sun - 

day, 9 July, to welcome 

and accommodate all 

visitors, show-stands, 

competition arenas, 

concert spots and much 

more to the 199th 

Mullingar Agricultural 

Show. 

“There’s a great buzz 

and great enthusiasm 

on now and everyone I 

speak to is looking 

forward to the show 

this year” Chairperson 

of the Show, Christoper 

Dolan told Topic last 

week. 

Best wishes for a great show from 

SAW REPAIR, SALES & 

SHARPENING SERVICE 

Mullingar 

Agricultural Show 

Celebrating the best 

in Farming, Rural 

Interests and 

Country Living 

On Sunday 9 th July 2023 

at the Showgrounds, Culleen 

Mullingar, Co. Westmeath 

Official opening by Minister for Agriculture, 

Charlie McConalogue 

Admission: Adults €15, Students and 

OAP’s €10, Children under 10 FREE of charge 

• Pedigree and Commercial Cattle 

and Sheep Showing 

• €2,000 Beef to the Heel Competition 

• All Ireland Belclare Sheep Competition 

• All Ireland Valais Blacknose Sheep Comp 

• Horse and Pony Show - Show Jumping 

on grass 

• Donkey Classes 

• Trade Stands - Outdoor and Indoor 

• Classes in Arts, Crafts, Cookery, 

Photography, etc. 

• Most appropriately dressed couple 

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT 

• Sheep Shearing 

• Declan Nerney 3-5 pm 

• Line Dancing 

• Fashion Show 

PLUS LOTS MORE FUN ON THE DAY 

“This will be the 199th 

show for us - next year 

is a big one, but we’re 

confident with the 

added attractions this 

year for younger 

children and some of 

the new classes we’ve 

introduced, this year 

will be a great success”. 

Chris went on to point 

out “We’re busy with 

getting the showgrounds 

ready thesedays. 

We’re out there 

most evenings cleaning 

up and ensuring all the 

arenas and the like are 

ready for showtime. 


• Welding Supplies 

• Mobile Welders / Generator Sales 

• Compressors 

• Belts • Bearings 

• Pulleys Seals 

• Chains etc. 

• Hand Tools 

• Power Tools 

• Safety Gear 

We’re also receiving 

quite a few entries for 

the various categories 

and that’s very positive 

as it shows there is 

good interest in the 

show this year again”. 

HISTORY OF THE 

MULLINGAR SHOW 

For almost 200 years 

the Mullingar Agri - 

cultural Show has 

supported agriculture 

and industry in West - 

meath and through out 

the Mid lands. Mull - 

ingar Show is run by 

the Committee of the 

Wishing 

Mullingar Agri 

Show every 

success as always 

& looking forward 

to a great day out 

on 9th July! 

+353 44 93 48855 

irishhereford@gmail.com 

Kender Bearings, Zone C, Mullingar Bus. Pk., Mullingar 

Tel: (044) 9341325 • www.kenderbt.ie • info@kenderbt.ie 

Best wishes to the 


from 

Tom 

Birmingham 

MENSWEAR 

Westmeath Show So - 

ciety Limited. The 

Show is a major date in 

the diary of many 

show-goers and attracts 

entries from across 

Ireland. 

WHAT TO EXPECT 

FROM THE SHOW 

THIS YEAR 

The Mullingar Agri - 

cultural Show has a 

long history of 

bringing people to - 

gether, holding a very 

special place in the 

hearts of many locals. 

You need not be a 

farmer to go along and 

enjoy this great day out 

- it’s open to everyone 

and it’s a great way to 

spend a few hours, just 

a five minute drive 

from town on the 

Castlepollard road. 

The 2023 Show on 

Sunday, 9 July 

promises to be an 

unmissable event. 

There is plenty of 

competitive cat egories 

for those exhibiting in 

the agricultural, horti - 

culture, equestrian, 

poultry, cookery and 

dog show, as well as 

those looking to grab a 

bargain or two at the 

many stalls, not to 

mention those who 

want to shake a leg or 

two and have a dance to 

the great music of 

Declan Nerney and Ray 

Dolan. 

Declan will entertain 

crowds during the day 

on the main stage from 

around 3pm while Ray 

plays in the bar area as 

the show comes to a 

close. 

This year will see all 

the regular classes on 

offer, reflecting the 

traditional agricultural 

strengths of West - 

meath in pedigree and 

commercial cattle and 

sheep showing. Horse 

and pony showing are 

traditionally very 

strong at the Mullingar 

Show, with the large 

entry in show-jumping 

continuing an old 

tradition of excellence. 

There is an extra class 

in the Horse Section for 

this year; “Class 56a - 

Open Ridden Trad - 

Best wishes to Mullingar Agricultural Show 

Mullingar Equine Vets Ltd. 

Michael O’ Donoghue MVB MRCVS 

Padraig O’Reilly MVB 

& Associates 

EQUINE PRACTICE 

1A Brosna Bus. Pk., Lynn Road, Mullingar 

T: 044 934 8142 • E: info@mevets.ie 

itional Cob, any height, 

4 years old and over”. 

There are also nine 

All-Ireland classes for 

pedigree registered 

Valais Blacknose Sheep 

at Ireland’s biggest 

ever show of Valais 

Blacknose at Mullingar 

Show. 

There are classes for 

poultry, horticulture, 

cookery, preserves, 

arts, crafts, hand - 

writing and photog - 

raphy all taking place 

in the indoors stands. A 

vibrant dog show is 

always a great 

attraction and this year 

will be no different. 

Entries to the dog show 

taken on the day. 

Anyone wishing to 

enter for any 

competition should 

have their entries in as 

soon as possible. Check 

out the website on 

https://www.mullingar 

agrishow.com/contact 

or the Mullingar 


Facebook page for all 

the details. 

There are a variety of 

They're big pets really - never mind the horns - at the 2022 

Mullingar Agricultural Show. Back at the show in 2023. 

events happening for 

the younger children, 

with face-painting, 

games, and other toy 

attractions at the show 

on the day. You can be 

sure there will be 

something for all ages 

at the 2023 Mullingar 

Agricultural Show. 

GREAT SHOW- 

GROUNDS AND 

FACILITIES 

Unlike many other 

agricultural shows 

around the country, the 

Mullingar Agricultural 

Show has a great 

facility at the 

Westmeath Show So - 

ciety (Mullingar) 

Showgrounds, Culleen. 

The society own the 

show grounds, which is 

in operational use 

throughout the year for 

various other events 

and activities. The 

show-ground area has 

great parking loca tions, 

sheds and gravel 

pathways throughout, 

as well as toilet 

facilities and plenty of 

mature trees to add 

shelter from the hot 

sun or the occasional 

shower of rain. 

SINCERE THANKS TO 

OUR SPONSORS 

“We couldn’t do all 

this without our 

sponsors and we’re 

very grateful to them 

and indeed to the hard 

working committee 

members. There’s a lot 

of preparation for this 

one day show but we’re 

committed to ensuring 

we have everything just 

right so that everyone 

can enjoy the day and 

so they leave, looking 

forward to returning 

for our 200th show in 

2024” the Chairperson, 

Chris Dolan concluded, 

adding a final word that 

‘sponsorship is always 

welcome anytime for 

the Mullingar Agricul - 

tural Show - it’s a good 

investment for com - 

panies as they get great 

exposure to thousands 

of show visitors”. 

MULLINGAR BUSINESS PARK, MULLINGAR 

Tel: 044 9343557 

Tyres Sales & Repair • Wheel Balancing 

Wheel/Lights Alignment • Oil/Bulb Change 

Breaks - Exhausts - Shocks Alloy Rim Repairs 

Servicing • 24HR Breakdown Service 

Best wishes for a great Mullingar 

Agricultural Show



9 

Additional funding - just in time for 

the Mullingar Agricultural Show 

On Thursday, 22 

June, Minister for 

Rural and Community 

Development, 

Heather Humphreys 

TD announced funding 

of one million 

euro to support 122 

Agricultural Shows 

right across the 

country. From this 

generous funding, 

the 2023 Mullingar 

Agricultural Show is 

set to receive €9,205, 

which will greatly 

support the show 

committee staging 

the event on Sunday, 

9 July at the 

Mullingar Showgrounds, 

Culleen, 

Mullingar, N91HXH0. 

Announcing the 

funding, Minister 

Humphreys said: “I’m 

delighted today to 

announce a record one 

million euro in funding 

to support 122 

Agricultural Shows 

the length and breadth 

of the country. 

“Our Agricultural 

Shows sum up all that 

is good about rural 

Ireland. They are 

intrinsically linked to 

that sense of community 

that our rural 

towns and villages are 

known for. 

“The shows are key 

dates in the summer 

calendar and are a 

central point for the 

agri-food industry, the 

farming community 

and our local artisan 

producers. 

“These shows are 

also a fantastic family 

day out, where people 

come to catch up and 

enjoy a truly unique 

experience.” 

“With entries travelling 

from far and wide 

to compete, the local 

show has something to 

interest everyone 

through its wide 

range of activities and 

competitions.” 

“I am delighted to 

increase the overall 

level of funding by 40 

per cent this year, 

which I know will 

really help the organisers 

in ensuring the 

shows themselves are 

a great success.” 

“I want to thank and 

pay tribute to the Irish 

Shows Association, 

who I was delighted to 

meet in recent weeks 

to discuss their plans 

for the upcoming summer 

season.” 

VERY WELCOME 

FUNDING FOR 


Speaking with Topic 

on Thursday, 22 June, 

shortly after the funding 

announcement 

was made, Mullingar 

Show Chairperson 

Chris Dolan said 

Mullingar Agricultural Show 

Minister Humphreys announces a record €1 million to support 

Agricultural Shows throughout Ireland, with Mullingar 

Agricultural Show set to receive €9,205. Minister Humphreys is 

pictured with the ISA’s Jim Harrison (Secretary) and Raymond 

Brady (President). 

“This is great news. 

We’re absolutely 

delighted to hear this 

at this crucial time of 

organising the show. 

We have plenty of 

bills to be paid for all 

sorts of services that 

we need to set the 

show up and this 

amount will take care 

of quite a few of those 

bills, as we welcome 

more sponsors to 

come on board and 

contribute. The funds 

are badly needed and 

will be gratefully 

received, as is all 

sponsorship”. 

FUNDING BREAK UP 

FOR WESTMEATH, 

MEATH AND OFFALY 

The total awarded to 

Westmeath in this 

year’s round of funding 

for these shows is 

€34,315. 

Other shows in the 

Best wishes to the Mullingar Show from 

James Geoghegan 

Agricultural Contractor 

Tyrrellspass 

For all your wagon silage, re-seeding 

and slurry spreading requirements. 

Fencing Supplies 

Hedge Cutting with track machine 

Plant Hire 

Midlands to receive 

grants are the Athlone 


which will receive 

€9,205, Midlands Connemara 

Pony Breeders 

Annual Show will 

receive €6,700, the 

Moate Agricultural 

Show will receive 

€9,205, the Tullamore 

Show & FBD National 

Livestock Show will 


Ballivor Horse Show 

will receive €8,525, the 

Nobber Show will 


North-East Conne - 

mara Breeders Show 

will receive €8,525, the 

Oldcastle Agricultural 

Show will 


Rolestown Show (Tattersalls) 

will receive 

€8,525 and the Royal 

Meath Show will 

receive €9,205. 

We are the 

Champions! 

Mullingar Agricultural Show win first 

place at the Mullingar St Patrick’s Day 

Parade 2023. 

The Mullingar Agricultural Show team 

proudly picked up the winning trophy for 

first place in the 2023 Mullingar St 

Patrick’s Day Parade. The committee 

turned up in force to receive their 

presentation at the Market House in April, 

with Mullingar Show Chairperson Chris 

Dolan receiving the first place award from 

Aisling Coleman, Co-Event Controller, 

Mullingar St Patrick’s Day Committee. Also 

in the picture (fourth from right) is 

Mullingar Show President, Joe Dolan. 


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World Meat Congress 

set for October 

DAFM carried out almost 

9.6 million TB tests in 2022 

The World Meat Congress 

2023, a global 

meeting of representatives 

from the meat 

industry and related 

sectors, will take place 

in the Netherlands in 

October, its organisers 

have announced. 

The International 

Meat Secretariat 

(IMS) and the Dutch 

Meat Industry Association 

(COV) have 

announced that the 

event will take place 

from October 11 to 13, 

in the city of Maastricht. 

It is expected that 

several hundred people 

from the global 

meat industry will 

attend, along with representatives 

of other 

sectors. The theme of 

this year’s congress is 

‘Meeting Society and 

Consumer’. 

According to the 

organisers, key topics 

on the agenda include 

the role of meat in the 

“global climate ambition”, 

society’s expectations 

on animal 

welfare, the labour 

market, and the 

impact of geopolitical 

developments on meat 

trade and production. 

The event will hear 

from speakers on 

these issues from the 

academic world, international 

organisations, 

and represent - 

atives of the meat 

value chain. 

The organisers also 

said that the congress 

is attractive for stakeholders 

not directly 

working in the international 

meat business, 

such as 

representatives of 

government, trade 

organisations, retailers, 

and non-governmental 

organisations 

(NGOs). 

This will be the first 

World Meat Congress 

in five years. The 

organisers say that 

their focus is on challenges 

facing the 

industry and to help 

meat industry professionals 

understand 

the current and the 

future expectations of 

consumers as well as 

society. 

The opening address 

of the event will be 

‘Healthiness of Meat 

in our Contemporary 

Diets’, and will be 

delivered by Dr. Luc 

van Loon, professor of 

the Physiology of 

Exercise at the 

Department of Hum - 

an Biology and Movement 

Sciences at 

Maastricht University. 

The congress will 

also feature a plenary 

debate, to which ministers 

from some 

European countries 

have been invited. The 

topic of this debate is 

‘The political landscape 

for the production 

and consumption 

of meat’. 


Food and the 

Marine (DAFM) carried out 

almost 9.6 million tuberculosis 

(TB) tests on cattle in 

2022, exceeding its target of 

9.3 million tests, according 

to a new report. 

The figures are contained 

in the recently published 

Public Service Performance 

Report which examines 

the effectiveness and 

efficiency of government 

departments and state bodies. 

The report shows that 

the department had a total 

expenditure of €1.8 billion 

in 2022, compared to almost 

€1.7 billion in the previous 

year. 

Of that €1.8 billion, €325 

million was spent on pay, 

€242 million on capital, €53 

million on pensions and the 

remaining €1.2 billion in 

expenditure was classified 

as “non-pay”. 

5,607 staff were employed 

by the department last year, 

up from 5,476 in 2021. 

The department spent 

almost €922 million on 

farm/sector support and 

controls, €431 million on 

policy and strategy and 

€332 million on food safety, 

animal and plant health 

and animal welfare. In 2022, 

the DAFM was responsible 

for a gross budget of some 

€3 billion of national and 

EU funds. 

121,903 farmers received 

direct payments from the 

EU under the Basic Payment 

Scheme (BPS) and 

Greening schemes. 

67,019 farmers received 

payments through the 

Green Low Carbon Agri 

Environment Scheme 

(GLAS), Agri Environment 

Options Scheme (AEOS), 

Beef Data and Genomics 

Programme (BDGP), 

organics and locally led 

schemes. 

The report shows that the 

department did not meet its 

target of paying 99,000 participants 

in the Areas of 

Natural Constraints (ANC) 

scheme; 96,593 farmers 

received a payment under 

the scheme last year. 

The report shows the 

department met just 28% of 

its target of 8,000ha of new 

forestry plantations; just 

2,273ha of land was 

afforested in 2022. 

The DAFM also failed to 

meet its target of carrying 

out 37,000 Bord Bia Sustainable 

Beef/Lamb Assurance 

Scheme (SBLAS) inspections, 

with 32,000 or 86% 

completed. 

EXPORTS 

The report shows that the 

value of agri-food exports 

hit €18.78 billion in 2022, up 

from €15.5 million the previous 

year. 

The value of dairy 

exports was €6.8 billion, 

beef exports were €3 billion 

and sheepmeat, pigmeat 

and poultry exports were 

worth €1.7 billion. 

86% of 75,000 consignments 

of live animals and 

products were inspected by 

department border-inspection 

posts. 

The value of primary 

agriculture production at 

producer prices rose from 

€9.6 million in 2021 to just 

over €12 million last year. 

Data was not yet available 

on the family farm income 

(FFI) in disadvantaged 

areas; in 2021 that figure 

stood at €31,325, up from 

€26,407 in 2020. 

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044 - 9340364 

 

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martincontracts@gmail.com


Minister calls for ‘sustainability 

commitments’ in EU trade deals 

Minister for Agriculture, 

Food and the Marine Charlie 

McConalogue has called 

on the EU to ensure there 

are “strong sustainability 

credentials” in its trade 

deals, and that their 

impact is fully taken into 

account. 

He was referring specifically 

to proposed trade 

deals with the Mercosur 

trading bloc and Australia 

when he spoke at a meeting 

of EU agriculture ministers 

on Monday, June 26. 

EU-Australia trade deals 

are currently progressing 

through the final rounds of 

negotiations. 

Speaking to his fellow EU 

agriculture ministers in 

the Council of the EU, Minister 

McConalogue called 

on the European Commission 

to minimise the additional 

beef and sheepmeat 

access to be offered to Australia 

in concluding the 

current free-trade agreement 

negotiations. 

“The key point I want to 

emphasise is the importance 

of ensuring that the 

cumulative impact of preferential 

access for sensitive 

products in all 

European free-trade agreements 

is fully taken into 

account in any ongoing 

negotiations,” he said. 

On the EU-Mercosur Free 

Trade Agreement, the minister 

repeated his call for 

“robust commitments” on 

sustainability in negotiations 

with the South American 

trading bloc, which is 

comprised of Brazil, 

Argentina, Paraguay, and 

Uruguay. 

“I fully support the commission’s 

ongoing efforts 

to secure strong sustainability 

commitments from 

Mercosur. The additional 

instrument on sustainability 

commitments needs to 

be substantial and robust,” 

he said. 

He was referring to a 

legal instrument which the 

commission has proposed 

to include as part of the 

trade negotiations to 

ensure Mercosur beef produce 

destined for the EU 

market reaches a sufficient 

environmental standard. 

There has been much 

concern raised throughout 

the EU over the link 

between beef production 

in Mercosur countries – 

particularly Brazil – and 

deforestation. 

Yesterday’s meeting of 

agriculture ministers also 

discussed progress on the 

proposed Regulation on 

the Sustainable Use of 

Plant Protection Products; 

proposed regulations on 

geographical indications; 

labelling of organic pet 

food; and the development 

of a Farm Sustainability 

Data Network (FSDN). 

Agriculture ministers 

met again on Tuesday, 

June 27 to discuss agricultural 

issues related to 

trade, as well as a range of 

other issues. 

Events in the Council of 

the EU are likely to be 

eclipsed by the European 

Parliament’s committee on 

environment, which re - 

sumes voting today on the 

hugely controversial 

Nature Rewetting Law. 

National herd falls by over 550,000 head in 20 years 

The national herd has reduced by over 

550,000 head in the past 20 years, latest 

figures from the Department of Agriculture, 

Food and the Marine (DAFM) 

have revealed. 

According to the DAFM’s Animal 

Identification and Movement System 

(AIMS) report, on December 31, 2002, 

there were 7,074,033 cattle in Ireland. 

As of December 31, 2022, 20 years later, 

there were 6,504,599 cattle in Ireland. 

The DAFM figures indicate the number 

of cattle in Ireland has decreased by 

569,434 head of cattle since 2002. 

According to the 2022 data, the average 

herd size in Ireland is 66.2 cattle. The 

county with the largest average herd 

size is Waterford, with an average of 

127.5 cattle/herd. 

This is followed by Co. Kilkenny with 

an average herd size of 126.1 cattle. Co. 

Leitrim has the smallest average herd 

size at 25.1 cattle, followed by Co. Sligo 

with an average herd size of 33 cattle. 

As of December 31, 2022, there were a 

total of 98,217 cattle herds in Ireland. 

38,353 herds have fewer than 25 cattle; 

21,805 herds have between 25 and 49 cattle; 

and 11,839 herds have between 50 

and 74 cattle. 

7,116 herds have between 75 and 99 cattle, 

while 8,410 of herds have between 

100 and 149 cattle and 11,144 of these 

herds have 150 or more cattle. 

Of the 6.5 million cattle in Ireland, 

2.68 million of these are Friesian; 1.03 

million are Limousin; 774,371 are 

Charolais; 714,861 are Angus; and 

511,981 are Hereford. Friesian cattle 

account for 41% of the national herd 

followed by Limousin which accounts 

for just under 16% of the herd. 

65% of the calves born in 2022 were 

born to dairy dams. This means that 

some 1,587,438 calves were born to dairy 

dams, while 853,456 calves were born to 

beef dams. 

For calves born to beef dams this is a 

decrease of 2.5% compared to 2021 and 

a 2% increase for the calves born to 

dairy dams. Overall calf births 

increased by 0.38% from 2021 to 2022, 

with 2,431,683 born in 2021 and 2,440,894 

born in 2022. 


11 

Caution 

urged as 

redwater 

cases spike 

Farmers are being 

reminded to be vigilant 

as a spike in the 

number of redwater 

infections has been 

reported in cattle 

herds in some regions 

of the country. 

Traditionally, June 

and September are 

two times of the year 

when the risk of a 

redwater outbreak is 

most prevalent. 

The hot weather this 

summer has been suggested 

as a potential 

contributing cause to 

the spike in cases this 

year. 

Cattle are most at 

risk when on undergrazed 

rough pastures 

with heavy grass covers 

that were not 

grazed in the later 

part of last year. 

Farmers who leased 

ground this year with 

heavy grass covers 

that may not have 

been grazed last year 

should also be vigilant 

as cattle grazing 

these pastures are 

particularly susceptible 

to redwater infection. 

Redwater is caused 

by the parasite 

Babesia divergens 

and is transmitted by 

a tick that is found in 

Ireland, particularly 

in the west and along 

the Shannon river 

system. 

According to Animal 

Health Ireland 

(AHI), keeping pastures 

well managed 

can help prevent the 

disease, although 

margins near hedges 

may still be a suitable 

environment for these 

ticks. 

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65% of the calves born in 

2022 were born to dairy dams 

Based on figures 

released by the 

Department of Agriculture, 

Food and the 

Marine (DAFM), 65% 

of the calves born in 

2022 were born to 

dairy dams. This 

means that some 

1,587,438 calves were 

born to dairy dams, 

while 853,456 calves 

were born to beef 

dams. 

For calves born to 

beef dams this is a 

decrease of 2.5% compared 

to 2021 and a 2% 

increase for the calves 

born to dairy dams. 

Overall calf births 

increased by 0.38% 

from 2021 to 2022, with 

2,431,683 born in 2021 

and 2,440,894 born in 

2022. 

CALVES BORN IN 

2022 

In only nine of the 26 

counties there were 

more calves born to 

beef dams in 2022, 

based on the Animal 

Identification and 

Movement (AIMS) 

data. In 17 counties, 

more calves were born 

to dairy dams than 

beef, with Co. Cork 

having 327,556 more 

calves born to dairy 

dams than beef. 

CALF BIRTHS 

Based on the latest 

Irish Cattle Breeding 

Federation (ICBF) 

data some 2,016,856 

calves have been registered 

in 2023 to date. 

The AIMS data from 

DAFM shows that a 

total of 2,440,894 

calves were born on 

Irish farms in 2022. 

There were 840,050 

calves born in 2022 

sired by a Friesian 

sire, while 1,493,753 

calves were born to 

Friesian dams in the 

same period. 

For the beef dams, 

Limousin cows had 

the most number of 

calves born at 285,658, 

while Angus was the 

most popular beef sire 

with 437,197 calves 

born. 

The most popular 

breed for the use of 

dairy dams was 

Friesian with 830,059 

cows served or bred to 

a Friesian sire from a 

total of 1,587,438 

served to dairy dams 

in total; this accounts 

for 52.3% of the total 

number. 

The second-mostpopular 

breed used on 

dairy dams was 

Angus with 21.6%, followed 

by Hereford at 

13%. The data also 

shows that February 

was the month with 

the most calves born, 

which matches the 

spring-calving pattern 

operated on many 

farms. 

March and April 

come in second and 

third place for the 

number of calves 

born. Over 400,000 

dairy-sired calves 

were born in February, 

with this number 

more than halving for 

March to below 

200,000 head. 

Beef-sired calves 

were just over 200,000 

head in February but 

increased to just over 

350,000 in March and 

just over 300,000 in 

April, which is likely 

due to the increase in 

beef semen used on 

dairy farms after the 

first few weeks of 

breeding. 

Consumer demand for 

eggs ‘strengthening’ 

Consumers are “trading 

down” from animal proteins 

like beef to poultry and eggs 

because of food inflation, 

which has led to a strengthening 

demand for eggs according 

to new research. 

But egg prices have also 

become increasingly volatile 

and reached “record-high levels” 

in some countries, according 

to Rabobank. Its latest 

research suggests this has had 

an impact across the egg supply 

chain – from breeders and 

producers to customers in 

retail, foodservice, and food 

processing. 

Rabobank said that it 

expects egg prices to “stay relatively 

high throughout 2023” 

but also warned that supply is 

dropping in many countries. 

Earlier this year the Irish 

Farmers’ Association warned 

that the price of eggs on Irish 

supermarket shelves had 

“gone up substantially in all 

retailers yet the portion 

received by farmers is 

abysmal”. 

According to Rabobank’s latest 

egg industry research 

while food prices have started 

to drop in some countries, egg 

prices have kept rising. 

It also highlighted that feed 

costs typically represent 60- 

70% of an egg producer’s 

costs. 

“Any change, upward price 

movements and especially any 

uncertainty about feed costs 

significantly impacts egg 

prices. 

“Feed prices are expected to 

stay elevated this year. 

Rabobank’s feed price outlook 

indicates a small decline of 

10% from the peaks of 2022 

but ongoing high price levels. 

This will keep production 

costs relatively high,” 

researchers stated. 

Rabobank also examined 

other key factors which it had 

identified as driving egg price 

volatility including avian 

influenza outbreaks (bird flu). 

It warned that the pressure of 

bird flu has been very high 

and ongoing outbreaks in 

Europe have had an impact on 

egg supply and also on industry 

profitability. 

According to the latest 

research the impact of Covid- 

19 on egg buying patterns also 

continues to be a notable 

trend. 

Rabobank said government 

restrictions on people’s movements 

during the pandemic 

resulted in a significant 

decline in the out-of-home consumption 

of eggs, particularly 

breakfast sales, but consumers 

then shifted their behaviour to 

eat breakfast at home – with 

eggs a central item. 

“This change in consumer 

behaviour still supports 

strong demand for egg products 

for the at-home market,” 

the bank stated. 

Rabobank also noted that 

new regulations have been 

introduced in some European 

countries which have affected 

the egg sector. It said the most 

relevant of these was the 

introduction of a ban on malechick 

culling at the hatchery 

level in Germany last year. 

“This regulatory change has 

impacted the European market, 

as Germany is the number 

one import market, 

representing 45% of EU egg 

imports,” the bank stated. 

Ballinderry Big 

Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath 

C.66 Acres 

Prime Land with Extensive 

Road Frontage 

For Sale by Public & Online Auction 

Friday, 28th July 2023 @ 3pm (U.P.S.) 

Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore, Co. Offaly 

& Via www.lslauctions.com 

Lot 1: C.19 acres of Prime Arable Land 

Lot 2: C. 47 acres of Prime Land with Sheds 

Lot 3: Entire C.66 acres 

Superb location and easily accessed, 

just c.1km from Kilbeggan on the R446. 

Solicitor: Ms. Kathy Garvey, J.A. Shaw & Co. Solicitors, 

Marlinstown Office Park, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. 

Intending purchasers using online bidding must register 

and pay a bidding deposit to GVM Auctioneers 

at least 3 days prior to the auction. 

Viewing Highly Recommended 

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Tel: (057) 9321196 • Email: tullamoreproperty@gvm.ie 

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Irish grocery inflation has 

fallen to its lowest level so far 

this year, according to new 

data published on Monday, 

June 26 from Kantar. Grocery 

inflation rose by 15.8% in the 

12 weeks to June 11, 2023, 

which is down on last month’s 

level of 16.5%. 

Take-home grocery sales in 

Ireland increased by almost 

11% in the month up to June 

11, as the average price per 

pack increased 14.1%. Grocery 

price inflation remains the 

main driver in increased value 

sales, Kantar said. 

Shoppers returned to stores 

more often during June 

(+9.2%) compared to the same 

month last year, making an 

average of two additional 

trips. However, this was down 

slightly compared to May. 

“This latest drop in grocery 

price inflation will be very welcome 

news for consumers, 

although it is too soon to say if 

this is the ceiling as inflation 

rates are still much higher 

than we have previously seen,” 

Emer Healy, senior retail analyst 

at Kantar, said. 

Healy said that consumers 

were “shopping little and often 

to help manage household budgets”. 

“The percentage of packs 

sold on promotion also 

increased to 25.8% compared 

to 24.7% last year, showing 

shoppers are carefully choosing 

promotional items to help 

them to make ends meet,” she 

added. 

Due to the longer, warmer 

days, consumers spent an additional 

€2.9 million on beer and 

lager, €1.9 million on chilled 

burgers and grills, and €1.2 

million on fresh sausages. The 

cost-of-living crisis is also leading 

to people thinking about 

what they eat and how they 

cook at home. 

“As shoppers look for easier 

meals with less waste, sales of 

total chilled ready meals shot 

up by 20% with shoppers 

spending an additional €2.9 

million year-on-year,” Healy 

said. 

Over the 12 weeks to June 11, 

the growth in sales of own 

label (15%) was almost double 

that of brands (7.8%) as shoppers 

look for ways to save 

money. Value own-label was up 

28.9% year-on-year with shoppers 

spending €15.7 million 

more on these ranges. 

Online sales remained strong 

over the period, up 2.2% with 

shoppers spending an additional 

€3.5 million on the platform 

year-on-year. Dunnes, 

Tesco and Lidl all reported 

increased sales value this 

month, with the gap in market 

share beginning to close 

between the top two retailers. 

Dunnes continues to hold the 

highest market share amongst 

all retailers at 22.9%, followed 

by Tesco with 22.6% and Super- 

Valu on 20.7%. Lidl hit a record 

new market share of 13.7%, 

while Aldi holds 12.3%. 


Grocery inflation drops to lowest level this year – Kantar 

13 

Agriculture accounts for 1.3% 

of all environment taxes 

Environment taxes on 

agriculture were 1.3% of 

the total environmentrelated 

taxes collected in 

2022, recent data has 

shown. This represents a 

total of €61 million collected, 

according to the 

Central Statistics Office 

(CSO). 

A total of €4.5 billion 

was collected in environment 

taxes in 2022, which 

was a lower figure than 

the €5 billion collected in 

2021, showing a decrease 

of €500 million. Gerard 

Keogh, statistician with 

the CSO said: “The 

decrease was due to the 

introduction of a temporary 

reduction in excise 

duty on fuels in April.” 

An environment tax is 

defined by EU regulations 

as tax whereby the 

tax base is a physical unit 

of something that has a 

proven negative impact 

on the environment, and 

which is identified in the 

European system of 

accounts as a tax. 

Environment-related 

taxes accounted for 4% of 

total taxes in 2022, with 

the CSO providing a 

breakdown of the taxpayer 

type and the economic 

sector of the taxes. 

Environment taxes in 

agriculture reached their 

peak in 2015, when a total 

of €81 million was collected, 

including €73 million 

in energy taxes. 

Taxes on transport fuels 

(hydrocarbon oils) 

accounted for 54% of all 

energy taxes in 2022. 

Keogh said: “The combined 

carbon tax, carbon 

credits and the public service 

obligation (PSO) 

levy accounted for 41% of 

energy taxes.” 

There was an increase 

of carbon taxes seen in 

2022, as the CSO reported 

they rose by 22% to €807 

million. Transport taxes 

(including motor tax and 

vehicle registration tax) 

accounted for 39% of all 

environment-related taxes 

in 2022. 

“Environment taxes 

levied on service industries 

were €1.4 billion in 

2022, representing a 31% 

share of total environment 

taxes,” Keogh 

added. 

Only 0.4% (€18 million) 

of all environment taxes 

were collected in the 

form of pollution and 

resource taxes – a landfill 

levy; a plastic bag levy; a 

fisheries levy; or a petroleum 

act levy. 

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Sheep processors yet to 

seek access to US market 

Sheep processors in Ireland 

are yet to begin the process 

of seeking access to the US 

market, despite the market 

opening for Irish sheepmeat 

over a year ago. 

In April of last year, Minister 

for Agriculture, Food 

and the Marine Charlie 

McConalogue announced 

that a veterinary health 

certificate had been agreed 

with the US Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), paving 

the way for Irish sheepmeat 

to be exported to the 

US. 

No sheep processor in the 

country has taken advantage 

of this as of yet. 

Responding to parliamentary 

questions from Fine 

Gael Mayo TD Michael 

Ring, the minster explained 

that food business operators 

must submit a site-specific, 

time-bound work 

programme to the Department 

of Agriculture, Food 

and the Marine, demonstrating 

how they will 

achieve compliance with 

US standards. 

“Once a sheepmeat plant 

successfully completes the 

USDA approval process, my 

department will notify the 

Food Safety Inspection Service 

of the USDA that the 

plant can be registered to 

export sheepmeat to the 

US,” he said. 

However, Minister 

McConalogue confirmed 

that no sheep processor has 

started this process. 

“At present, no sheepmeat 

plants have submitted 

a documented work programme,” 

he said. 

“My department is 

actively engaging with 

interested plants in assessing 

how they can comply 

with the requirements for 

this trade.” 

Due to the fact that no 

sheep processor has sought 

approval to export to the 

US, Ireland has not 

exported any sheepmeat to 

the US since the agreement 

with the USDA last year, 

the minister confirmed. 

“While the role of my 

department is to open up 

international markets in 

consultation with stakeholders, 

it is up to industry 

– with the support of my 

department and Bord Bia’s 

marketing expertise – to 

capitalise on the resulting 

opportunities for trade,” 

Minister McConalogue 

said. 

It had 

been 

hoped that 

Irish lamb 

would hit the 

US market in the first quarter 

of this year. 

Speaking last September, 

Seamus McMenamin, 

sheepmeat and livestock 

sector manager with Bord 

Bia, had said that, currently, 

the US sheepmeat 

market is dominated by 

produce from Australia and 

New Zealand. 

“It looks like our space is 

going to be high-end. Not 

massive volumes but a high 

price point once we get 

plant approval and get that 

product into that market,” 

McMenamin 

had 

said. 

Potential to create 

230 new places for 

veterinary medicine 

annually 

A total of 230 places for veterinary 

medicine could be created 

annually, according to the Department 

of Further and Higher Education, 

Research, Innovation and 

Science. 

A report by the Higher Education 

Authority (HEA) found that, 

with investment, an additional 

230 vets could potentially be 

trained every year, the department 

said. 

It is understood that there is 

potential for new programmes in 

veterinary medicine at the University 

of Limerick (UL), Atlantic 

Technological University (ATU), 

and South East Technological 

University (SETU). 

University College Dublin 

(UCD), which is currently the 

only provider of third-level education 

in veterinary medicine, 

has potential to create further 45 

places annually and five gradentry 

places. 

Capacities at UL, ATU and SETU 

have been assessed to be at 90, 40, 

and 40 student places for veterinary 

medicine every year at full 

roll out, according to the department. 

The available options were officially 

announced by Minister for 

Further and Higher Education, 

Simon Harris; Minister for 

Health, Stephen Donnelly; and 

Minister for Agriculture, Food 

and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue 

on Wednesday, June 21. 

New courses could be spread 

over a number of third levelproviders 

with the optimal model 

for provision in each discipline 

considered in a further assessment, 

the department said. 

The government agreed to 

advance the process with investment 

to be considered in the context 

of budgetary processes and 

the National Development Plan 

review, the department added. 


Food and the Marine (DAFM) will 

work with the department of further 

and higher education, health, 

and public expenditure with a 

view to agreeing an approach to 

be brought to government in the 

“very near future”, Minister 

McConalogue said. 

The HEA was also tasked by the 

department to establish how additional 

capacity might be provided 

in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, 

and dentistry. 

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15 

‘On site’ inspections 

of fertiliser imports 

in future 

On-site inspections of 

fertiliser imports will 

be carried out at 

farms and merchants’ 

premises by the 

Department of Agriculture, 

Food and the 

Marine (DAFM) to 

ensure “compliance” 

under the new vet and 

medicines bill, the 

Seanad has been told. 

The Minister for 

Agriculture, Food and 

the Marine, Charlie 

McConalogue recent - 

ly told the Seanad that 

there are no provisions 

in the new Veterinary 

Medicinal 

Products, Medicated 

Feed and Fertilisers 

Regulation Bill that 

will prevent farmers 

from buying fertiliser 

from outside the state. 

Minister McConalogue 

said that the second 

part of the bill – 

which will lead to the 

creation of a national 

fertiliser database – 

will require on-site 

inspections by DAFM 

“as part of its compliance 

verification programme”. 

The database will 

compile data on 

import, sale, supply 

and use of fertilisers 

and “allow for analysis 

of data” to assist in 

the administration of 

other DAFM schemes. 

The minister told 

the Seanad that crossborder 

trade in fertilisers 

will not be disrupted 

as a result of 

the new bill and that 

he believes this trade 

will continue. 

“The only additional 

requirement will be 

that such transactions 

are imports and farmers 

buying from 

Northern Ireland, as 

an example, will have 

to register as a fertiliser 

economic operator. 

“The department 

will include on-site 

inspections as part of 

its compliance verification 

programme, 

including risk-based 

on-farm inspections 

and inspections at an 

importer and merchant 

level, to confirm 

accuracy of information 

being loaded onto 

the database,” Minister 

McConalogue 

Fertiliser prices fall further 

but price variation remains 

Fertiliser prices are continuing 

to decline across the 

country but there remains to 

be a significant variation in 

prices, depending on the outlet. 

Merchants that 

have bought fertiliser 

more 

recently appear to 

be charging the 

lower rates and 

merchants that 

have stock from a 

few weeks ago are 

having to charge 

the higher rates as 

prices continue to 

decline. 

For Calcium 

Ammonium Nitrate (CAN), 

the price per tonne is varying 

from €360-385/t, a variation 

of €25/t between most 

outlets. Protected urea is generally 

trading at prices from 

between €500-555/t, a difference 

of €55. 

Going by the above prices, 

added. 

During the second 

reading of the vet and 

medicines bill in the 

Seanad, a number of 

senators highlighted 

farmers’ concerns 

over data storage and 

data sharing in relation 

to the new 

national fertiliser 

database. 

The minister told 

protected urea is better value 

than CAN when compared on 

a per-unit-nitrogen basis. 

Protected urea is also recommended 

for use over CAN or 

ordinary urea fertiliser as it 

it less prone to volatilisation. 

Looking at compound fertiliser, 

18:6:12 is trading at 

prices ranging from €470-520, 

a variation of €50/t. 

Conversations with agrimerchants 

would suggest fertiliser 

prices have ‘bottomed 

out’, however this remains to 

senators that his 

department “has 

taken the steps necessary 

to ensure the 

data collected under 

this bill will comply 

with all aspects of 

data protection regulations, 

rules and 

requirements.” 

He added: “The 

robust data-sharing 

provisions in the legislation 

will allow the 

specific sharing of 

data with other bodies 

to achieve environmental 

and sustainability 

targets to be 

fully in line with the 

general data protection 

regulation and 

other data legislation.” 

be seen and the best advice 

for farmers buying fertiliser 

is to shop around and only 

buy supplies as they are 

needed. 

While fertiliser prices have 

fallen, it is still an 

expensive input and 

farmers should only target 

fertiliser when and 

where it is needed. 

Consult soil-sample 

results to assess the 

fields which may need 

additional attention for 

phosphorus (P) and 

potassium (K) requirements. 

Slurry should be targeted 

at fields with low 

P and K indexes as well as 

ground where cuts of silage 

have been taken off. This will 

help replenish P and K 

reserves in the soil after a 

cut of silage has been taken 

and reduce the need for 

chemical P and K on the 

farm. 

Connor 

Dairy 

Services 

086 2519 512 

ctrconnor@icloud.com 

Job vacancies now on offer



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Midland Farmer - July 2023

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