Aidan Brennan

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Aidan Brennan

Reseeds: A lot of farmers are concerned about reseeds. Some earlier sown jobs that didn’t get much rain are still looking very bare in large patches, while some jobs that were looking very poor two weeks ago are looking a lot better now. In the latter case, the seeds were probably dormant and then emerged after the rain came. In the case where fields are still bare, it is more likely that the seeds struck but then died due to lack of moisture, frost, etc.

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Aidan Brennan

A new EU measure called the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is set to directly impact fertiliser and other farm input costs from next January. The new measure is designed to discourage importers from purchasing goods with higher greenhouse gas emissions from outside the EU by imposing a tax on these imports. Over 85% of all urea used in Europe is manufactured outside of the EU, with most of Ireland’s urea coming from north Africa.

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Aidan Brennan

It was a steady week in the European trading houses this week, with only slight increases in price for most commodities. Unlike last week’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction where the index fell by 1.6%, the main commodities in Europe held firm this week. Butter increased by €10/t, as did whole milk powder (WMP), while cheddar cheese prices increased by €5/t and there was no change to the price of skim milk powder (SMP).

2 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Aidan Brennan

Fertiliser prices are set to rise next year due to a new emissions-related EU import charge. The Irish Fertiliser Manufacturers and Blenders Association is predicting a €25-€30/t cost to fertiliser imports into the EU from January 2026, with urea particularly vulnerable. The fear is that much of this could be passed on to farmers in a price hike. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is targeting imports of goods with high greenhouse gas emissions.

3 weeks ago | farmersjournal.ie | Aidan Brennan

In last weeks’ report from the sharemilking open day at Shinagh in west Cork, we outlined the arrangement between the landowners Shinagh Estates and sharemilker Kerry Desmond. Kerry described sharemilking as being the perfect option for him: “I enjoyed milking the cows on the farm that I was managing before, but I always said I’d prefer if they were my own. It’s definitely a different feeling milking my own cows now,” he says.