This week’s episode of Farmland hears the details of a hands-off, Teagasc research project on piglet development, and features a sit-down interview with independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who says the energy crisis should be prioritised over the climate at the moment.
In the programme, which will go live at 7:00 today (Tuesday, September 13), Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, head of Teagasc’s pig development department, speaks to Agriland editor Stella Meehan about the study, which aims to get a better understanding of what happens in the early stages of a piglet’s life, without touching them.
Manzanilla explains that when pigs are touched, they come under extreme stress, which is why the researchers are using samples of colostrum, saliva and faeces from the piglets, that are collected externally.
He also explains that these samples can then be analysed to learn more about the animals’ gut health, which in turn could help farmers to predict illness within their herd and subsequently reduce antimicrobial resistance.
Later on Farmland
Later in the episode, independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice talks to Farmland about the energy crisis, farmgate prices and the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), which he believes is anti-rural Ireland.
He claims that the government’s responsibility is to ensure the lights and heating stay on over the winter months and to do that, the focus on climate change may need to be put aside.
Speaking about ACRES, which will come into effect in January 2023 as part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Fitzmaurice states that the scheme must be paused and altered immediately, as it is set to damage small farms.
He says that environmental schemes such as this should be aimed at supporting small, family farms, but instead these cohorts will find themselves struggling to make an income.
The episode of Farmland will be available this evening (Tuesday 7:00pm) on the Agriland platform. All episodes can be streamed via the award-winning digital platform agriland.ie, and links to the programme will also be available across Agriland social media platforms.
All episodes of Farmland can be viewed by clicking here. The Farmland podcast is also available to download or stream on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.