Francess McDonnell

Francess McDonnell Profile Picture

Francess McDonnell is an award-winning journalist and producer with significant experience in covering agriculture, agri-business and business issues. She has worked with the Irish Times, Sunday Times Ireland, Sky News Ireland, BBC Northern Ireland and the Belfast Telegraph and Irish News. Her family has farmed for generations and is part of a rural, lough-shore community where her interest in farming, agri-business and rural issues first began. She is a graduate of De Montfort University, Leicester and the School of Journalism, Cardiff University.

Watch: Time for farming to get ‘treated with a little bit of respect’ – Taoiseach
Watch: Time for farming to get ‘treated with a little bit of respect’ – Taoiseach

Agriculture and farming “matters” and it is time the sector to start “getting treated with a little bit of respect”...

Concentration of land ownership ‘is a problem’ – TD
Concentration of land ownership ‘is a problem’ – TD

The concentration of land ownership in many parts of the country “is a problem” according to the Independent TD for...

Turnover fell at Arrabawn Co-op in 2023 but operating profit rose
Turnover fell at Arrabawn Co-op in 2023 but operating profit rose

Arrabawn Co-op has reported a 20% drop in turnover from €505 million in 2022 to €403 million in 2023, latest...

Excise duty must be paid if agri-diesel brought in from NI – Revenue
Excise duty must be paid if agri-diesel brought in from NI – Revenue

Revenue is advising farmers that if they bring a quantity of agri-diesel from the north to the south – that...

Lakeland Dairies targets acquisitions with €100m fund
Lakeland Dairies targets acquisitions with €100m fund

Lakeland Dairies is on the look out for potential new acquisitions in the UK, Europe and the United States “to...

Co. Down farmers top Lakeland Dairies’ milk payments league table
Co. Down farmers top Lakeland Dairies’ milk payments league table

Farmers in Co. Down received €115.9 million in milk payments – topping Lakeland Dairies’ milk payments league table for 2023....

Sharp drop in turnover and profit at Lakeland Dairies during 2023
Sharp drop in turnover and profit at Lakeland Dairies during 2023

Lakeland Dairies has blamed a “challenging year” for a €300,000 drop in turnover to €1.6 billion in 2023 compared to...

Report: Profitability of some farms in EU is ‘being squeezed’
Report: Profitability of some farms in EU is ‘being squeezed’

The profitability of some farms in the European is being squeezed by lower agricultural prices, according to a new report...

GDT auction results: Increase of 0.1% in price index
GDT auction results: Increase of 0.1% in price index

The average Global Dairy Trade (GDT) price index rose by just 0.1% following the latest auction results today (Tuesday, April...

Dairy farmers drove agri-building activity in 2023 – specialist
Dairy farmers drove agri-building activity in 2023 – specialist

The majority of planning permissions granted for new agriculture-related building developments were secured by dairy farmers last year latest figures...

Judge rules on case over lands in Donegal inherited by a nephew
Judge rules on case over lands in Donegal inherited by a nephew

A High Court judge has ruled on a case in which it was claimed that lands in Donegal were “illegally...

CSO: ‘Significant’ growth in potato prices over 12 months to February 2024
CSO: ‘Significant’ growth in potato prices over 12 months to February 2024

Prices paid to potato growers soared over the 12 months to the end of February this year according to latest...

Tánaiste: We want to create a ‘new era of security’ for farmers
Tánaiste: We want to create a ‘new era of security’ for farmers

Fianna Fáil wants to “create a new era of security for farmers and the agri-food sector” the Tánaiste said this...

€61,534 paid out in ‘succession planning’ advice grants – minister
€61,534 paid out in ‘succession planning’ advice grants – minister

A total of 51 farmers aged 60 years and more have received grants this year to cover part of the...

2,300 farmers set to get approval letters for ACRES tranche 2
2,300 farmers set to get approval letters for ACRES tranche 2

The Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that approval letters are being issued to more than...

Factory ‘opportunism’ on beef prices is unacceptable – farm org
Factory ‘opportunism’ on beef prices is unacceptable – farm org

Factories have been accused of trying to “take advantage” of the weather conditions that farmers are currently battling by holding...

718 inspections in 2022 on farms with nitrates derogation
718 inspections in 2022 on farms with nitrates derogation

The Department of Agriculture and the Marine (DAFM) carried out a total of 718 inspections on farm inspections with a...

€2.2m funding boost for agri-related and timber research projects
€2.2m funding boost for agri-related and timber research projects

Irish researchers who are participating in European projects on sustainable agriculture, fertiliser and forest and timber are set to benefit...