The ferocious farmer backlash to the announcement that 99,000t of beef from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will make its way onto EU market shelves under the EU-Mercosur trade deal will be fleshed out on FarmLand tonight.
Joe Healy president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) joins presenter Claire Mc Cormack in studio to give his reaction to the deal and why he believes it is a retrograde step for Irish and EU agriculture.
Healy will outline the next steps the IFA is set to take to prevent the agreement from gaining further support at national and EU level.
FarmLand reporter Breifne O’Brien also gets feedback from farmers on the front-line at Ballyjamesduff Mart in Co. Cavan.
Meanwhile, the current EU-wide shortage of machinery operators will also be deliberated by Mike Moroney, CEO of the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI).
And with second cuts underway across the country, FarmLand reporter Emma Gilsenan speaks to farm contractor Peter Farrelly about the challenge of attracting fresh interest into the contracting sector – particularly when work is only available on a part-time basis.
He also outlines the impact that the situation is having on the ground this silage-cutting season.