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1 week ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
The best money farmers can spend is on male genetics and overall, there is a high return on investment, a leading UK farmer told attendees at an AgriSearch conference held in Armagh on Tuesday. Keith Gue manages a family dairy enterprise in the south of England which is part of the wider Huddlestone Farmers Ltd., a mixed farming business operating on nearly 2,300 acres across Britain.
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1 week ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
Most NI milk processors have decided to leave base prices unchanged for March, although with winter bonuses dropping off, the prices paid per litre will be down across the board. First to declare was Lakeland Dairies, with the co-op holding base price at 39.8p/l. However, a 3p/l winter bonus, paid since November, is no longer applicable in March. Elsewhere, Strathroy held at a base of 41p/l, although its 3p/l winter bonus also drops off in March.
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1 week ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
The top payout by DAERA in March 2025 to large beef finishers who opted in to the Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) scheme in 2024 was £234,975, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal. Out of the top 20 payouts, 11 farm businesses received over £100,000. Six of these were greater than £150,000, with two farmers getting over £200,000 in BCR scheme payments.
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1 week ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
On Tuesday, the Department published a “Blueprint for Eradication” of bovine TB in NI, put together by the TB Partnership Steering Group (TBPSG). The origins of the group go back to a review of TB by chief vet Brian Dooher, completed in November 2024. Included among nearly 40 proposals was one for the establishment of a new TB partnership that would bring together representatives from across farming, auctioneers, veterinary and wildlife organisations.
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1 week ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
Northern Ireland’s largest dairy co-op, Dale Farm, has confirmed it will make a 13th payment of 0.5p/l in the March milk cheque. The 13th payment will be made on all supplies received in the last milk year running from April 2024 to March 2025. The decision follows on from a 0.4p/l payment from Aurivo on all supplies in 2024 and a 0.65p/l loyalty payment from Lakeland Dairies, also on all 2024 milk.
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2 weeks ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
Despite the record prices currently being paid for beef, suckler cow numbers will continue to decline, a leading industry expert has said. Addressing the spring conference organised by the Irish Farmers Journal and Livestock and Meat Commission, Michael Haverty from Andersons predicted that a shift from sucklers to dairy beef will continue, with suckler numbers across the UK down by a further 20% by 2035.
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2 weeks ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
NI’s largest dairy processor, Lakeland Dairies, had a solid year of trading in 2024, with turnover up 9% to £1.44bn* and operating profit before exceptional items, nearly trebling to hit £34.93m. That left the co-op with an operating profit margin of 2.4%, which is broadly in line with profits made within local agri-food processing. In 2023, profit margin dipped below 1%.
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2 weeks ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
Magheralin-based Leprino Foods has set out a new payment structure for milk in NI, with significant extra weighting put on the value of butterfat and protein. At present, the company pays farmers across bands of 0.05%, with butterfat base set at 3.80% to 3.84% and protein base at 3.15% to 3.19%. Each 0.05% increase in butterfat above base is worth 0.09p/l and each 0.05% increase in protein above base is worth 0.15p/l. Strathroy operates a similar system of banding.
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2 weeks ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
At the start of the year, the price paid for U3 grading steers in NI was just over 526p/kg. Back then, no-one could have predicted that three months later, prices would be up nearly 160p/kg, which on a 400kg steer is an extra £640 per head. It is an incredible turn in the market, with 700p/kg a realistic possibility in the next couple of weeks. There have been various theories put forward as to why beef prices are up so much in such a short period of time.
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2 weeks ago | 
farmersjournal.ie | David Wright
Farming across the UK is probably in the most positive state it has been in the last 10 years and looking ahead, there are many reasons to be optimistic, a senior figure in UK agri-business has said. At last Thursday’s spring conference organised by the Irish Farmers Journal and the Livestock and Meat Commission, Michael Haverty, a partner at the Andersons Centre, provided an overview of UK agriculture and a look forward to 2035.
