The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Shane McEntee TD, today gave the opening address at the Annual Conference of the National Dairy Council. The Theme of the conference was ‘Unlocking Growth in Dairy’.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Shane McEntee TD, visited Pat Clarke’s strawberry farm in Stamullen, Co. Meath, to sample some of his finest strawberries and witness exactly what is involved in producing one of the country’s most popular fruit crops.

All roads lead to Ballinrobe Racecourse on the May 19th and 20th for the inaugural Connacht Spring Show which promises to be one of the best shows to be held in the West of Ireland in recent years.  Incorporating the Connacht International Sheep Shearing Championships, the Spring Show will boast a comprehensive and diverse range of exhibitions and displays.  Foremost among them will be the large farm machinery show.

Farm safety continues to be a huge issue on farms nationwide, with 22 fatalities recorded in 2011. Now that the summer has begun, children will be spending more time on the farm and in the countryside during the busiest time of the farming year, and child safety must be at the forefront of everybody’s mind.

Ballina Fianna Fáil Comhairle Cheantar has strongly condemned the recent decision by Minister for Agriculture, Food and The Marine Simon Coveney, to scrap the Agri Environmental Options Scheme (AEOS) for 2012. Fianna Fail  members, including members of the farming community, pointed out that hundreds of farmers across North Mayo, who have recently come off REPS 3 and made plans based on the reasonable assumption that they could join AEOS this year, have now been "have now been left high and dry".

Second level students from Mayo closed the textbooks and put on the wellies for a day of hands-on learning at Mountbellew Agricultural College Thursday. Agricultural Science students took to the fields for one of Agri Aware’s practical days which will take place throughout the week in six Teagasc colleges nationwide and UCD Lyons Estate.

The decision by Environment Minister Phil Hogan TD to reduce the septic tank registration fee to €5, instead of the proposed €50, for those who register before June 30th has been described by Mayo Fine Gael TD, Michelle Mulherin as a very pragmatic move aimed at encouraging early registration.

Michael Moynihan T.D., Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and The Marine, addressed 250 Mayo farmers in Julians of Midfield on Friday night to discuss the impact on Irish farmers of changes to farm payments under reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Government’s decision to cut the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, REPS and AEOS.

Sinn Féin Senator, Trevor O Clochartaigh, will speak at a public meeting organised by Mayo Sinn Féin to discuss the implications of the new legislation on septic tanks. This follows two meetings held by Cllr. Rose Conway Walsh in Belmullet and Newport last week, with large numbers of the public in attendance.

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Agriculture Michael Moynihan TD will hold a public meeting in Midfield, Swinford, tomorrow night (Friday) to discuss the challenges facing the farming sector in Mayo and across the country.