News & opinion

The latest farming news and developments from the Irish Farmers Journal. Keep up to date with breaking news stories from the agriculture sector.

LATEST NEWS
Rachel Gallagher
Smyths Seasonal Surprise tops at £3,900 for a Suffolk ewe lamb
Rachel Gallagher reports on the Smyths Seasonal Surprise online timed auction.
Read the full story ->
Siobhán Walsh
Dairygold announces four malting barley finalists
EDITORIAL
Jack Kennedy
Editorial: Suckler positivity
Editorial: choosing solar or food?
We know there are people starving in the world that would love the riches under our feet and yet we are knowingly long-term decommissioning land.
SPONSORED
CalfCare ’25 roadshow to promote calf health and good calf rearing practices
Seventeen farms nationwide will host CalfCare ’25, a collaborative roadshow by Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 campaign, promoting calf health and good calf-rearing practices.
VIEWPOINTS
Editorial: Animal Health Ireland – time for a reset?
Jack Kennedy
Jack Kennedy
Colm McCarthy: Ireland has a mixed legacy on climate
Colm McCarthy
Colm McCarthy
View from China: Changes in China's pig industry
Contributor
Contributor
Editorial: Seasons Greetings
Jack Kennedy
Jack Kennedy
FARMER WRITES
Succession plan knocked back by IHT change
John Egerton
Succession plan knocked back by IHT change
The proposed reforms of UK inheritance tax could have big implications for our farm, writes John Egerton.
Farmer Writes: A slatted shed like Trigger's broom
Tommy Moyles
Farmer Writes: A slatted shed like Trigger's broom
Tommy Moyles recently replaced slats in his oldest slatted house. The building and some of the materials in it have witnessed a lot of local history in their time.
Contributor
Farmer Writes: cows housed based on calving dates
e-Learning
Karen McCabe
Farmer Writes: a battle with front loader
CalfCare ’25 roadshow to promote calf health and good calf rearing practices SPONSORED
CalfCare ’25 roadshow to promote calf health and good calf rearing practices
Seventeen farms nationwide will host CalfCare ’25, a collaborative roadshow by Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 campaign, promoting calf health and good calf-rearing practices.
DEALER
Election fever continues in Dairygold
The final seats on the Dairygold board were confirmed recently, with the three incumbents returned. Attention now turns to the election of a new chairman in January.
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The Dealer
That was the year that was 2024
The Dealer
Belgian Blue calf sells for €900 in Carrigallen
SEE MORE
VIDEO HUB
FARM SAFETY
Sarah McIntosh
Kerry community hosts memorial tractor run
A family who lost a loved one to a farm accident are keeping his memory alive by hosting an annual tractor run, writes Sarah McIntosh.
Read the full story ->
SPONSORED
CalfCare ’25 roadshow to promote calf health and good calf rearing practices
Seventeen farms nationwide will host CalfCare ’25, a collaborative roadshow by Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 campaign, promoting calf health and good calf-rearing practices.
FORESTRY
Darren Carty
Roadside trees - who is responsible for them and do I need approval to cut them?
Forestry licences report card for 2024
Afforestation licences lapse after positive returns from late July to September, while felling licences well down but road approvals strong.
James Hanly
New forest technology scheme not fit for purpose – IFA
PIG AND POULTRY
Bird flu state of emergency declared in California
James Hanly
Bird flu state of emergency declared in California
The announcement was made on Thursday to further enhance the state’s preparedness after a case of the virus was confirmed in cattle on farms in southern California.
Poultry to buck EU farm output decline trend
Noel Bardon
Poultry to buck EU farm output decline trend
The European Commission’s outlook for the coming 10 years points towards more poultry, but less pigmeat, being produced on EU farms.
Adam Woods
Navigating a period of high risk for Avian Influenza
e-Learning
James Hanly
Raw milk samples in US to be tested for bird flu
Amy Forde
Bird flu found in buzzard in Galway