Farming Independent

14/01/2026

Sometimes you need to see something in practice to really understand it.”

That’s what convinced Niall Higgins and his father Seán in Riverstown, Co Sligo, to switch their farm to organic – and the results might surprise you.

From suckler cows and sheep to silage management, Niall explains how going organic has simplified life on the farm, reduced inputs, and given the family a clear roadmap for the future. It wasn’t an overnight change – and it wasn’t without its doubts – but seeing organic in action made all the difference.

➡️ Read the full story to see how a Sligo farm embraced organic production without the headaches, and what lessons other farmers might take from their experience.

Have you considered switching to organic, or already made the leap? What worked for you – and what hasn’t? Share your experiences below.

What began as a reluctant step into the unknown has become a clear roadmap for the future of the Higgins family farm.

14/01/2026

“Optics don’t pay farm bills.”

That’s how Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen sums up the Mercosur debate – and he should know. With decades in politics, from local councils to Brussels, he’s seen how protest slogans and motions in the Dáil look impressive… but don’t protect Irish farmers’ livelihoods.

In this piece, Cowen lays out the real work being done behind the headlines: cutting the EU’s safeguard thresholds, tightening inspections, and negotiating exemptions – all to shield Irish agriculture from the worst of Mercosur, should it pass.

He’s clear: Mercosur is not a “good deal” for beef farmers. But there is a difference between shouting loudly and shaping the rules so Irish farmers don’t get left behind.

Do you feel politicians are doing enough to protect farmers, or is it all talk? Let us know in the comments – the debate isn’t over yet.

The debate around the EU-Mercosur trade deal has fast become one of the loudest and most contentious in Irish politics. In recent days, we have seen protests, petitions and now a second Sinn Féin private members’ motion in the Dáil. People have a right to protest and be heard, and indeed they ha...

14/01/2026

“I’ve seen cases where a site was left to someone living abroad… and nothing could be done with the land for years.”

That’s just one of the eye-opening stories Mary Frances Fahy, a Ballaghaderreen-based solicitor, shares in our latest feature on wills, land, and family.

Most of us think making a will is straightforward – but anyone who’s dealt with family farms, inherited land, or worried about Fair Deal contributions knows it rarely is. From maps gone wrong to rights of residence that turn a house into a headache, Fahy has seen it all.

She talks about the mistakes that can tie up property, spark disputes between siblings, or even wipe out an estate – and the simple steps that could prevent them.

If you’ve ever wondered how to protect your farm, your land, or your family from a messy inheritance, this is a read you won’t want to skip.

Most people think making a will is straightforward. Mary Frances Fahy does not.

13/01/2026

€2.1 billion paid to Irish farmers last year...

You might think record support means farming is thriving. On paper, the numbers are staggering: EU and Irish taxpayers pumping almost €70% more into agriculture than a decade ago. But scratch beneath the surface and the picture is very different.

This feature shows how payments are shifting westwards, schemes are multiplying, and support is increasingly about public goods rather than production.

Bigger farms in the east and south-east are using public money to expand and invest, while smaller holdings in the west rely on it just to stay afloat.

And here’s the kicker: despite all the money, young farmers aren’t taking over. Generational renewal is barely budging, and the very subsidies meant to sustain farming may actually be slowing succession.

It’s a system at a crossroads there's lots of cash, but it's fragile in structure.

👉 Full feature (subscriber access): https://www.independent.ie/farming/schemes/billions-for-farming-but-fewer-farmers/a1296149458.html

Do you think the current support system is helping farming survive or holding it back?

13/01/2026

Tractors, tensions and trade: What Saturday’s Mercosur protest really meant

One man told Darragh McCullough to “shut your mouth” about beef and that was just one moment in a day of horns, tractors, and thousands of rural voices making themselves heard in Athlone.

But the protest wasn’t just about noise. Darragh saw the political games, the contradictions from government, and the private conversations that revealed many farmers understood the bigger picture even if they couldn’t say it aloud.

He also asks the awkward questions politicians and farm leaders don’t want to answer:

Is blocking competition really in Ireland’s best interests?
Are some fears being amplified for political gain?
And what does it mean for the future of Irish beef?

👉 Read Darragh McCullough’s full column: https://www.independent.ie/farming/comment/tractors-tensions-and-trade-what-saturdays-mercosur-protest-really-meant/a1539956846.html

13/01/2026

“A sore back and money worries kept me awake on New Year’s Eve.”

That’s not the opening line of a glossy New Year manifesto it’s the reality of farming when the books, the body and the brain all start talking at once.

In her latest column, Hannah Quinn-Mulligan strips things right back and reflects on seven lessons she learned the hard way last year from knife-edge winter milk margins to chasing bills, rebuilding sheds on paper at 2am, and learning (slowly) that brute force isn’t a long-term farm system.

If you’ve ever lain awake worrying about money, calving, staffing or just whether you’re doing any of it right this will resonate.

On New Year’s Eve, two things kept me awake: my twinging sore back and money worries.

13/01/2026

Bigger isn’t always better.

As spring approaches and nutrient plans are being dusted off, Tillage advisor Richard Hackett is asking are we trying to solve in-crop slurry application with machinery that’s simply too big?

Applying pig or cattle slurry to standing winter cereals makes sense on paper. The crop needs N, P and K. Slurry has all three. And exporting slurry early helps heavily stocked farms stay on the right side of the rules.

Yet in practice, uptake has been patchy.

Umbilical systems can work when fields are big, access is perfect, staff are lined up and the weather behaves.

But how often does that all come together on real farms? Heavy kit, tight tramlines, soft soils and awkward gateways don’t leave much margin for error.

This piece asks whether the answer might actually be scaling down.

Could a lighter tractor and smaller tanker, on low-ground-pressure tyres, deliver better nutrient use with less risk, less capital cost and far more flexibility?

Especially on smaller or fragmented fields where umbilicals just aren’t practical.

https://www.independent.ie/farming/tillage/in-crop-slurry-application-is-smaller-machinery-the-key-to-better-nutrient-use/a1903072872.html

13/01/2026

Earlier finishing. Better grass use. Fewer housing days.

In his latest column, Newford demo farm manager Shane McGuinness lays out five very clear priorities for the year ahead.

They include:

getting cattle finished younger without sacrificing carcass weight

using grass to do the heavy lifting, not meal

tightening calving and breeding windows

breeding cattle that grow faster and finish earlier

and measuring emissions in a way that actually links back to profit on the ground

Earlier slaughter age isn’t just a climate buzzword here it’s presented as the biggest lever farmers have for both cashflow and compliance.

And the detail matters: grazing shoulders of the year, pulling surplus bales at the right time, compact winters, paddock discipline, AI choices that don’t land you with calving headaches.

Whether you agree with every element or not, this is a look inside how a high-profile demo farm is planning its next moves

We don’t do New Year’s resolutions at Newford Demonstration Farm, but the start of 2026 is definitely a good time to decide our five key priorities for the next 12 months.

13/01/2026

Mercosur. Mercosur. Mercosur.

While everyone was arguing about South American beef, €280 a head quietly disappeared off Irish cattle prices in just two months.

Since early November, factory prices for a 350kg carcass are back 70c/kg and the question farmers are now asking is an uncomfortable one:
did all the noise suit someone else just fine?

On the ground, finishers are being told one thing “We’ve plenty of cattle, might be next week before we get to you” only to get a phone call hours later saying “We’ll take them in the morning.”
Another agent put it more bluntly: “The big bust of cattle is gone.”

So which version is real?

Yes, quotes have steadied for now. Yes, demand is being talked up. And yes, young bulls have even edged forward.

But none of that changes the fact that a savage drop happened with remarkably little resistance at a time when farm organisations, politicians and airwaves were consumed by Mercosur.

https://www.independent.ie/farming/beef/mercosur-debate-drowns-out-a-280hd-price-drop-in-two-months/a64252288.html

13/01/2026

Factories say the lamb trade is sluggish.”

Yet lamb is making €8.20/kg all-in in places… and marts are flying in spite of snow and blocked roads.

So which is it?

Last week gave factories a bit of a fright. Weather shut down movement from the North and Donegal, supplies tightened fast, and suddenly local lamb was worth more than the quote suggested. Prices quietly edged up first 10c, then another 10c while some plants scrambled to fill hooks.

But there’s a bigger question bubbling away under the surface of this trade.

If restaurants can charge €32–€34 for an 8oz steak without blinking…
why is lamb still talked down as “too dear”?

And do Irish consumers really not like lamb anymore or have we just stopped putting it in front of them?

The factories started last week on quotes of €7.60/kg plus quality assurance bonuses of 10-20c/kg but were actually paying all-in prices of €8.00/kg – then the weather played its part.

12/01/2026

French farmers are stopping lorries and opening containers and Mercosur is right at the heart of it.

At France’s biggest port and on motorways feeding Paris, farmers have been pulling in trucks and checking what’s coming into the EU: mushrooms, sheep offal, food shipped halfway around the world. All of it, they say, undercuts what European farmers are expected to produce under ever tighter rules.

The spark? The EU-Mercosur trade deal backed by most EU states last week, despite strong opposition from France. Now the protests are escalating: ports blocked, fuel depots shut down, tractors heading for Paris and Strasbourg.

https://www.independent.ie/farming/news/french-farmers-target-food-imports-as-mercosur-protests-continue/a735405960.html

12/01/2026

Ocado has just launched a 100g “small steak” as part of a new aisle aimed at customers on GLP-1 weight loss injections.

Alongside it, you’ll find high-protein cottage cheese, tiny beef burgers, Romesco chicken, and even ready-to-drink protein shakes, all carefully designed to support lean muscle while cutting calories.

Retailers like M&S, Waitrose, and even Greggs are following the trend, targeting a growing market: an estimated 2.5 million UK adults are on weight loss injections, yet surveys show many don’t even fully understand how the drugs work.

Ocado has launched a “small steak” aimed at customers on weight loss jabs seeking smaller portions while maintaining a healthy nutrient-rich diet.