COUGHLAN ANNOUNCES ENHANCED MILK TESTING PROGRAMME

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan T.D., has announced a new improved regime for the monitoring of milk processors' practices in the testing of milk for payment purposes. The move is in response to a commitment made by the Government in the Social Partnership Agreement, Towards 2016, and follows extensive consultations with the farming organisations and representatives of the milk processing industry.

The new regime will now include a full audit of milk testing laboratories' facilities and management practices. The inspections of milk testing laboratories will be organised on a more systematic basis and improved procedures for reporting and recording the results of inspections will be put in place within the Department.

Checks will be carried out on the calibration of the instruments used in the laboratories in testing milk for butterfat, protein, somatic cell levels, and, where it is being taken into account for payment purposes, the lactose content of the suppliers' milk. There will be increased checking of laboratories' and milk processors' records to ensure that results obtained in the laboratory are correctly attributed and used in the calculation of the price payable to the milk producers.

To ensure there is transparency in the milk testing procedures, as guaranteed under the Partnership Agreement, the findings of these inspections will be published on the Department's website.

Announcing the new regime, Minister Coughlan said: "These new arrangements are a direct response to long standing requests from the farming organisations for greater transparency in the manner in which milk testing is carried out".

She continued: "It is important not only that the testing of milk to determine the price payable to the producer should be conducted on a fair and scientifically accurate basis, but that it should be seen as such".

The Minister thanked the farm organisations and the processors for their co-operation in finalising this new regime, which will come into operation at the start of the new "Milk Year" on 1st April next.

BREEDING MORE PROFITABLE DAIRY REPLACEMENTS – TEAGASC MOOREPARK

An Open Day for dairy farmers entitled ‘A Breeding Strategy for an Expanding Irish Dairy Industry’ will take place at Teagasc Ballydague research farm on Thursday, 27 March 2008.

Research and advisory personnel from Teagasc Moorepark are encouraging dairy farmers to focus on using artificial insemination (AI) to increase the numbers of high quality dairy replacements. The number of replacement dairy females born over the last two years is inadequate to maintain the present national dairy herd size and particularly so in an increased national milk quota scenario.

This important and timely event provides Irish dairy farmers with up-to-date research information as they prepare, for the first time, to start the breeding season within an environment of potential milk quota expansion.

Many dairy farmers have applied for and purchased additional milk quota in the last eighteen months and are likely, under ongoing EU negotiations, to receive a two per cent increase in milk quota this year, with the possibility of further annual increases. The ICBF Animal Events system shows that the number of AI bred females has increased by five per cent per year over the last two years.

However, a recent survey, carried out by ICBF and Teagasc, indicates that as an industry we should be setting a target of a 10 per cent increase in AI use in 2008. Comprehensive direction to dairy farmers in breeding strategy for the coming breeding season will be provided at the open day.

Compact calving, generating additional high EBI replacements, increasing AI usage and overall profitability of the dairy herd, will be the focus of the day. The event also offers dairy farmers an opportunity to meet with ICBF, NCBC and the main AI organisations. The various alternative breeds and crossbreeds currently under evaluation at Ballydague research farm will also be exhibited.

The Open Day begins at 10.00 am and will provide an ideal opportunity to see at first hand the results of the comprehensive research programme at Moorepark and to meet the research and advisory staff from Teagasc.

COMPULSORY GUN CABINET EXEMPTION MAKES COMMON SENSE SAY IFA COUNTRYSIDE

IFA Countryside has welcomed the Firearms Consultative Panel’s recommendation not to compel owners of a single shot gun to have a gun cabinet. It had been proposed that the minimum level of security for owners of a single shot gun should be a gun cabinet.

IFA Countryside representative on the committee Bernard Phelan said, “This is a sensible recommendation as it takes into account the many concerns IFA Countryside had in making gun cabinets compulsory for single shot gun owners.”

He said that with approximately 80,000 farmers and casual huntsmen who own a single shot gun, imposing this condition would have cost in the region of €18 million, without any significant improvement in safety or security.

Mr. Phelan said, “This recommendation by the committee reflects a sensible approach and he urged all single shot gun owners putting away their gun to follow the recommendations of the committee and ensure that one of the component parts of the gun be separated and stored away from the rest of the gun.”