The Dealer hears that Roberta McDonald has taken up her new role as sustainable solutions lead at Devenish.

McDonald previously headed up sustainability at Aurivo Co-op, a role she held for a little over a year. The Dealer understands that Aurivo does not plan to replace her.

A high proportion of Aurivo’s product goes to Africa and central Asia, where it seems price, rather than provenance, is a key selling point. Elsewhere, I see Carbery Group’s sustainability officer Sinead Treanor has also departed. The Monaghan woman headed up the Greener Dairy Farms programme for the west Cork co-op. Her position has already been filled by Enda Buckley and Aoife Feeney.

Two-thirds of Carbery’s milk suppliers are in a nitrates derogation and the cheese-maker is a big player in markets where consumers are more conscientious.

Rallying cries from the Beef Plan Movement for its protest outside the Dáil piqued The Dealer’s interest this week.

Acting co-chair Hugh Doyle issued the first of a plethora of videos to WhatsApp and Facebook followers from the comfort of his conservatory.

Banging his fist on the table, Doyle said the protest was needed to protect farmers and rural Ireland. His fellow acting co-chair Eamon Corley could not join him, he said, because he was in France on holidays.

Lo and behold, within 24 hours there was a video from the aforementioned Corley, presumably from the holiday destination.

It was followed by a series of videos from various Beef Plan Movement county chairs, whose locations were less salubrious: tractor cabs and fields. One even brandished a hurley to reinforce his point.

Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice got in on the action too, making his pitch from beside a decent-looking Claas.

Larry Goodman through his privately held investment company Vevan bought €3.6m worth of shares last week in Green Reit.

This brings his stake in the property company, which owns offices around Dublin including the iconic glass-fronted Independent News & Media printing press building on the Naas road, to €21m.

Of course, Larry is no stranger to property as he now owns the former bank of Ireland HQ on Baggot Street.

In fact, given that it has a rent roll of €8m from Government departments, he is believed to be the biggest landlord to the state. Maybe Larry is interested in Green Reit all to himself.

After all, it is for sale, valued at €1.5bn and has a rent roll of around €80m.

I see that the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) has appointed its first general secretary in some seven years.

In recent days, ACA members received notice that Co Mayo-based independent consultant Breián Carroll has taken up the position for the next 18-months.

Carroll held the position of general secretary seven years ago after he completed a successful term as ACA president.

At the time, the powers-that-be decided they could survive without a general secretary after his term ended, although many members believed such a key role should never have been left vacant. Well, the ACA membership has turned to Carroll once more with a challenging 18-months ahead. Climate change, the nitrates derogation, ammonia, a new CAP and Brexit are all on the horizon for farmers and their advisers.

I’m told Carroll will be officially unveiled later this week.

I see popular Dairygold employee, Gerry O’Sullivan, is retiring after 41 years with the co-operative.

He held many positions within the organisation, most recently as member relations manager. His people skills were renowned and his trojan work during the fodder crisis springs of 2013 and 2018 was much appreciated by farmers. Well-known in GAA circles, the Dromtarriffe native was a selector with Cork senior footballers for a number of years and was part of the management team for their 2010 triumph.

O’Sullivan is being replaced by Tipperary man Niall Griffey who worked as a Dairygold area sales manager specialising in crops.

You would assume farmers who own forestry can claim to own the carbon credits that go with it. But this might not be the case. When Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny asked Minister Andrew Doyle the question on who owned carbon credits, the minister said he’d have to check but pointed out that when it came to mineral ownership, the State owned it. Food for thought as the climate debate rumbles on and carbon credits are traded in other countries.

The Dealer is always fascinated by the lengths to which pedigree breeders go during the show summer season. But it seems that between brushing and blow-drying, divine intervention still has a part to play. I heard a Clare breeder won all around him last weekend and he’s putting it down to the hay made in a graveyard that his stock ate.

The Dealer has seen breeders spray holy water on cattle before a show, but holy hay is a new one.