Beef prices: coronavirus causing trade disruption
There is no reported factory closure due to coronavirus, but the virus is causing significant disruption to the trade in other ways.
Overall throughput has reduced, as factories alter processing to adhere to Government recommendations.
This has led to reduced activity for certain types of stock, with demand for cows hardest hit.
Read Darren Carty's full report on the beef trade here.
'We're trying our best to keep open'
Tommy Moyles spoke to mart manager Tom McCarthy in Bandon on Monday, where calf sellers had to wait their turn to sell outside the calf ring.
With 2,000 calves on offer for the second week in a row and prevailing trading conditions, the trade was steady.
Read the full mart report and how restrictions were implemented in this report.
Nowhere to hide for bidders at Bandon Mart this week.
How agri contractors can prevent the spread of Covid-19
With the weather set to improve in the coming days, the workload for tillage farmers and contractors in particular will increase immensely, given the challenging weather and unsuitable field conditions to date.
Gary Abbott reports on the measures that contractors can and should take to minimise the spread of coronavirus.
Teagasc to process BPS applications and derogations over the phone
Teagasc advisory offices are open for pre-arranged appointments only and for staff who are unable to work from home.
All Teagasc Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and nitrates derogation appointments will now be processed over the phone rather than an office consultation.
Teagasc staff will contact farmer clients in the coming weeks. BPS applications for clients, in so far as possible, will be done over the phone.
For farmers in a derogation, prior to application submission, clients will be asked to signify agreement to the application through email or text. Teagasc staff will contact clients to make arrangements.
Read more here.
Balmoral Show has been postponed until August due to concerns over the coronavirus.
In a statement, the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) said the show would be rescheduled for Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 of August.
For more, click here.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has also announced the suspension of all its internal meetings due to health and safety concerns.
Mart trading 'may change day by day'
Mart trading arrangements are being monitored and assessed on a daily basis ICOS has said, but will continue to operate under the strict guidelines issued by the Government last Thursday.
On Monday evening, ICOS environment and livestock executive Ray Doyle said: "It’s business, not as usual, but continuing for now and this may change day to day, depending on the overall situation and ongoing guidance from the authorities."
Click here to read the full story.
Dairy sector working to ‘keep milk moving’
Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) has been working to assure all supply lines are kept open to manage dairy product flows to ensure the industry can keep the shelves and fridges stocked across the European Union, including across borders, as Europe adjusts to the coronavirus pandemic.
DII has made a number of points to EU regulators, including:
The smooth and constant supply of milk and dairy products for the population across the union is of vital importance in all stages of the Covid-19 management plans and in all parts of the union, at whatever level affected by the virus. Raw milk is a highly perishable product that requires processing within 48 hours. Milk collection operations must be maintained without any interruption across the union. Over the past days, we have seen a significant increase in milk and dairy demand in basically all EU member states as Covid-19 restriction plans are ramped up.Read the full story here.
Feed mills close to full tilt as farmers urged not to panic
Farmers are being urged not to panic-buy feed, as millers report demand for feed supplies is up.
Dairygold’s mills have plenty of feed ingredients and will be delivering to farmers, member relations manager Niall Griffey said.
“There’s absolutely no reason for farmers to be panicking. We will be there,” he said.
Read the full story here.
How can farmers apply for sick pay?
The Government has introduced a number of measures to assist the self-employed and PAYE workers, which can help both full-time and part-time farmers if they fall ill or need to self-isolate during the coronavirus pandemic.
Find out here how you can apply for sick pay if you fall ill or need to self-isolate.
Minister Creed thanks farmers
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has thanked Irish farmers, fishers and food processing companies who put food on the country’s tables every day.
“At a time of significant challenge for our nation, I want to take a moment to pay tribute to the men and women who work so hard to put food on our tables every day,” he said, adding that we can take the food farmers produce for granted.
Read the full story here.
Three Donegal marts cancel sales
On Sunday night, three marts in Donegal postponed their sales in the interest of health and safety for their customers and staff.
Read more here.
Cork Marts sales in Bandon and Dungarvan on Monday, 16 March, will go ahead under Covid-19 restrictions.
Farmers are urged not to attend unless you are a buyer, seller or haulier and no children are allowed.
The sales will follow the 100-person limit and other guidelines issued by ICOS last Thursday.
Learn the lessons from foot-and-mouth disease
In his editorial, Irish Farmers Journal editor Justin McCarthy reflects on how an all-island approach to foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease almost 20 years ago was successful in containing the disease.
He looks at how relevant the 2001 FMD outbreak is to the current Covid-19 public health threat.
Will milk from my farm be collected if I get coronavirus?
Co-ops across the country have issued additional protocols for farmers and delivery and collection drivers, in the event of a farmer being diagnosed with coronavirus.
In this article, you can read in detail what steps Glanbia and Dairygold suppliers have been advised to do.
Will the coronavirus affect your pension?
Anyone in receipt of the State pension should not worry, but those with a private pension could be affected.
Lorcan Allen spoke to Martin Glennon, head of financial planning at ifac, about the potential impact of the coronavirus on pensions.
Farm safety and coronavirus risks for children on farms
With schools closed, there are many more children at home on the farm than usual. Amii McKeever spoke to Alma Jordan about how to keep them safe and what jobs they can do without taking big safety risks.
Basic Payment Scheme: what will happen?
The Department of Agriculture has said that all farm inspections, farm payments and BPS deadlines will remain in place.
“Any delay in inspections or change to the application date may lead to delays in payments later in the year and we are anxious to avoid this at all costs,” the Department said.
It also assured farmers that export certification, TB testing, passport issuing and much more will continue. Read the full story here.
Teagasc is putting plans in place to facilitate advisers in assisting farmers to complete BPS applications in its offices over the coming month.
Read more
Coronavirus: how to protect you, your family and your farm
€15,000 secured by Longford breeder at Charolais premier
Coronavirus won’t delay Brexit
Live: how coronavirus is affecting farming
Beef prices: coronavirus causing trade disruption
There is no reported factory closure due to coronavirus, but the virus is causing significant disruption to the trade in other ways.
Overall throughput has reduced, as factories alter processing to adhere to Government recommendations.
This has led to reduced activity for certain types of stock, with demand for cows hardest hit.
Read Darren Carty's full report on the beef trade here.
'We're trying our best to keep open'
Tommy Moyles spoke to mart manager Tom McCarthy in Bandon on Monday, where calf sellers had to wait their turn to sell outside the calf ring.
With 2,000 calves on offer for the second week in a row and prevailing trading conditions, the trade was steady.
Read the full mart report and how restrictions were implemented in this report.
Nowhere to hide for bidders at Bandon Mart this week.
How agri contractors can prevent the spread of Covid-19
With the weather set to improve in the coming days, the workload for tillage farmers and contractors in particular will increase immensely, given the challenging weather and unsuitable field conditions to date.
Gary Abbott reports on the measures that contractors can and should take to minimise the spread of coronavirus.
Teagasc to process BPS applications and derogations over the phone
Teagasc advisory offices are open for pre-arranged appointments only and for staff who are unable to work from home.
All Teagasc Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and nitrates derogation appointments will now be processed over the phone rather than an office consultation.
Teagasc staff will contact farmer clients in the coming weeks. BPS applications for clients, in so far as possible, will be done over the phone.
For farmers in a derogation, prior to application submission, clients will be asked to signify agreement to the application through email or text. Teagasc staff will contact clients to make arrangements.
Read more here.
Balmoral Show has been postponed until August due to concerns over the coronavirus.
In a statement, the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) said the show would be rescheduled for Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 of August.
For more, click here.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has also announced the suspension of all its internal meetings due to health and safety concerns.
Mart trading 'may change day by day'
Mart trading arrangements are being monitored and assessed on a daily basis ICOS has said, but will continue to operate under the strict guidelines issued by the Government last Thursday.
On Monday evening, ICOS environment and livestock executive Ray Doyle said: "It’s business, not as usual, but continuing for now and this may change day to day, depending on the overall situation and ongoing guidance from the authorities."
Click here to read the full story.
Dairy sector working to ‘keep milk moving’
Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) has been working to assure all supply lines are kept open to manage dairy product flows to ensure the industry can keep the shelves and fridges stocked across the European Union, including across borders, as Europe adjusts to the coronavirus pandemic.
DII has made a number of points to EU regulators, including:
The smooth and constant supply of milk and dairy products for the population across the union is of vital importance in all stages of the Covid-19 management plans and in all parts of the union, at whatever level affected by the virus. Raw milk is a highly perishable product that requires processing within 48 hours. Milk collection operations must be maintained without any interruption across the union. Over the past days, we have seen a significant increase in milk and dairy demand in basically all EU member states as Covid-19 restriction plans are ramped up.Read the full story here.
Feed mills close to full tilt as farmers urged not to panic
Farmers are being urged not to panic-buy feed, as millers report demand for feed supplies is up.
Dairygold’s mills have plenty of feed ingredients and will be delivering to farmers, member relations manager Niall Griffey said.
“There’s absolutely no reason for farmers to be panicking. We will be there,” he said.
Read the full story here.
How can farmers apply for sick pay?
The Government has introduced a number of measures to assist the self-employed and PAYE workers, which can help both full-time and part-time farmers if they fall ill or need to self-isolate during the coronavirus pandemic.
Find out here how you can apply for sick pay if you fall ill or need to self-isolate.
Minister Creed thanks farmers
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has thanked Irish farmers, fishers and food processing companies who put food on the country’s tables every day.
“At a time of significant challenge for our nation, I want to take a moment to pay tribute to the men and women who work so hard to put food on our tables every day,” he said, adding that we can take the food farmers produce for granted.
Read the full story here.
Three Donegal marts cancel sales
On Sunday night, three marts in Donegal postponed their sales in the interest of health and safety for their customers and staff.
Read more here.
Cork Marts sales in Bandon and Dungarvan on Monday, 16 March, will go ahead under Covid-19 restrictions.
Farmers are urged not to attend unless you are a buyer, seller or haulier and no children are allowed.
The sales will follow the 100-person limit and other guidelines issued by ICOS last Thursday.
Learn the lessons from foot-and-mouth disease
In his editorial, Irish Farmers Journal editor Justin McCarthy reflects on how an all-island approach to foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease almost 20 years ago was successful in containing the disease.
He looks at how relevant the 2001 FMD outbreak is to the current Covid-19 public health threat.
Will milk from my farm be collected if I get coronavirus?
Co-ops across the country have issued additional protocols for farmers and delivery and collection drivers, in the event of a farmer being diagnosed with coronavirus.
In this article, you can read in detail what steps Glanbia and Dairygold suppliers have been advised to do.
Will the coronavirus affect your pension?
Anyone in receipt of the State pension should not worry, but those with a private pension could be affected.
Lorcan Allen spoke to Martin Glennon, head of financial planning at ifac, about the potential impact of the coronavirus on pensions.
Farm safety and coronavirus risks for children on farms
With schools closed, there are many more children at home on the farm than usual. Amii McKeever spoke to Alma Jordan about how to keep them safe and what jobs they can do without taking big safety risks.
Basic Payment Scheme: what will happen?
The Department of Agriculture has said that all farm inspections, farm payments and BPS deadlines will remain in place.
“Any delay in inspections or change to the application date may lead to delays in payments later in the year and we are anxious to avoid this at all costs,” the Department said.
It also assured farmers that export certification, TB testing, passport issuing and much more will continue. Read the full story here.
Teagasc is putting plans in place to facilitate advisers in assisting farmers to complete BPS applications in its offices over the coming month.
Read more
Coronavirus: how to protect you, your family and your farm
€15,000 secured by Longford breeder at Charolais premier
Coronavirus won’t delay Brexit
Live: how coronavirus is affecting farming
This is a subscriber-only article
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