News round-up from Northern Ireland

UFU still want suckler scheme delayed

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has repeated its call for the upcoming Suckler Cow Scheme to be delayed a further nine months.

Last month, DAERA announced that the start date for the new headage payment scheme was being pushed back by three months until 1 April 2025.

“We’re extremely frustrated by DAERA’s refusal to postpone the Suckler Cow Scheme to 2026. The April 2025 start date will cause nothing but hassle for our farmers,” said UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy.

The UFU argue that a start date in the middle of spring calving will make the scheme complicated for most suckler farmers, especially with targets for calving interval and calving age changing each year.

“It’s complicated enough for farmers to keep track of calving intervals without spring calving herds being split in the middle,” Cuddy said.

Hedge laying courses set for Greenmount

CAFRE are hosting two hedge laying courses at Greenmount campus in the new year.

Hedge laying is the traditional method of rejuvenating hedgerows to maximise the shelter and biodiversity.

“It involves partially cutting the stems of the hedge plants and laying them uphill at approximately 30 degrees. The hedge produces new growth from the base and the laid stems continue to grow over the medium term,” said Robert Beggs from CAFRE.

The one-day courses are taking place on Thursday 23 January and Thursday 6 February, with both events running from 10am to 4pm.

Pre-registration is required by visiting the CAFRE website.