EU's Plan for Pig Remains Causes Rage
IRELAND - While the EU's plan to permit pig remains to be used as poultry feed could save farmers millions, animal rights activists and certain religious sects are enraged by this plan.

Sow Housing Scheme Closed
IRELAND - The Irish Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan has closed the 2007 Sow Housing (Animal Welfare) Scheme for new applications.

Nutrigenomics Centre Opens Doors
IRELAND – The global animal health company Alltech cut the ribbon on its Centre for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition this week. They are calling the facility the first of its kind in the world, as it is dedicated to the studying the effect...

Irish Push For Strong Export Refunds Regime
IRELAND - The Irish agriculture minister Mary Coughlan has called for a strong pig meat expoort refund regime across Europe.

Retailer Loss Leaders Choking Irish Pig Sector
DUBLIN - IFA President Padraig Walshe says retailers are killing the Irish pig industry by using pigmeat as a loss leader.

Glanbia Sells Pig Meat Activities
IRELAND - Irish based international cheese and nutritional ingredients group, Glanbia plc, has sold its pigmeat activities, Glanbia Meats Ireland.

Rosderra Refuses To Give What's Due
IRELAND - Michael Maguire, Chairman of the IFA Pigs and Pigmeat Committee led a delegation to meet with the new Rosderra pigmeat company yesterday (Thursday).

Guidelines Draw a Safer Path for Animal Transport
IRELAND - The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan TD, has officially launched new guidelines for best practice for the welfare of animals during transport.

Producers in Crisis and Consumers Misled
IRELAND - Irish pig produucers are being beaten down further by escalating feed prices - up 50 per cent in recent months due to world grain shortages - and an influx of cheaper imports, channelled through the processing sector.

Irish Agriculture Minister in Talks with EU Commissioner
IRELAND - The plight of the Irish pig industry was at the fore when Irish Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Mary Coughlan this week met with Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, in Dublin.

Origin Gets Masstock for £26.3m
IRELAND - Irish agribusiness Origin Enterprises has agreed to buy UK agronomy company Masstock in a deal reaching almost £30m, when all is done and dusted.

Cavan Producers losing €3,000-Plus a Week
IRELAND - Cavan's pig industry is in crisis which signals hardship for the local economy, says Ireland's Farmers' Association.

Kilkenny Protest Over Imported Meat
IRELAND - IFA National Pigs Chairman Michael Maguire has accused Irish secondary processors that trade under Irish names while processing substantial quantities of imported pigmeat, of undermining Irish pig producers who are losing €1m a week.

TEAGASC Consult Industry on Future
IRELAND - A study of the pig industry to prepare a Development Strategy for the sector has been carried out by the Teagasc Pig Production Development Unit.

Labelling Confusion Warrants Full Investigation, says IFA
IRELAND - Henry Burns of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has called on the Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan to undertake a full investigation into mislabelling of meat in some Eurospar outlets.