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<h3>Introduction</h3><p>There’s a figure doing the rounds in tillage discussions at the moment that quietly explains a lot about how the sector feels right now: around 72% of tillage farms in Ireland operate on less than 30 hectares.</p><p>It’s not a statistic that jumps out at first glance, but once you sit with it, it starts to make sense of a lot of everyday realities, tight margins, careful machinery decisions, sensitivity to weather, and why even a half-decent year can still feel like hard work.</p><p>Irish tillage isn’t dominated by big arable units. It’s built, for the most part, on small and medium-sized farms and that context matters more than it often gets credit for.</p><figure id="figure-n44p2be4bml435ix8"><img id="n44p2be4bml435ix8" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1317758923/photo/top-view-of-a-tractor-harrowing-soil-on-an-agriculture-field-agricultural-tillage-or-land.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=jdQHtGMKgSKTsz2te9f9fXMzZnJ4j9FPQiNuRCmokp4=" alt="Top view of a tractor harrowing soil on an agriculture field. Agricultural tillage or land preparation." title="Top view of a tractor harrowing soil on an agriculture field. Agricultural tillage or land preparation." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1317758923/photo/top-view-of-a-tractor-harrowing-soil-on-an-agriculture-field-agricultural-tillage-or-land.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=jdQHtGMKgSKTsz2te9f9fXMzZnJ4j9FPQiNuRCmokp4=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What the Tillage Sector Actually Looks Like on the Ground<br></h3><p>In 2024, there were 11,451 farms with tillage crops in Ireland. When you break that down, the shape of the sector becomes very clear:</p><ul><li>4,498 farms had less than 10 hectares of crops.</li><li>Around 32% were farming between 10 and 30 hectares.</li><li>Only about 5% had between 100 and 250 hectares.</li><li>Just 1% of tillage farms had more than 250 hectares.<br></li></ul><p>So while large arable farms do exist, they’re very much the minority. For most tillage farmers, the reality is a relatively small block of land where every hectare has to work hard.</p><p>That scale influences everything from crop choice to risk tolerance.</p><figure id="figure-d6mbfq5z5vml43d1ot" class=""><img id="d6mbfq5z5vml43d1ot" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1992828112/photo/plowed-field-before-sowing.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=x6CifzSLW1MwdtOGIMxDISPMTH6cfs6d5BJlVT0IrJQ=" alt="Plowed field before sowing." title="Plowed field before sowing." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1992828112/photo/plowed-field-before-sowing.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=x6CifzSLW1MwdtOGIMxDISPMTH6cfs6d5BJlVT0IrJQ=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Scale and Margin: Why Small Area Amplifies Pressure</h3><p>Margins in tillage have always been volatile, but recent figures really underline how exposed smaller farms can be.</p><p>National survey data for 2024 shows that net margins on tillage farms ranged from around –€316 per hectare to +€764 per hectare, depending on performance. More telling still, only 56% of tillage farms recorded a positive net margin, meaning 44% did not fully cover costs once everything was taken into account.</p><p>On a large farm, there’s often room to absorb a bad field or a poor crop. On a farm under 30 hectares, there isn’t. When margins swing, they swing across the whole business at once.</p><p>A single poor decision, a late sowing, or a weather setback doesn’t affect part of the farm, it affects all of it.</p><figure id="figure-l0ou6wery6ml43g9sf"><img id="l0ou6wery6ml43g9sf" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/640284362/photo/farmer-in-tractor-preparing-land-with-seedbed-cultivator.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=XN9v9YO0GxNpdkYnCusLAI2NCC__fbNec0HFpgpZhlY=" alt="Farmer in tractor preparing land with seedbed cultivator." title="Farmer in tractor preparing land with seedbed cultivator." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/640284362/photo/farmer-in-tractor-preparing-land-with-seedbed-cultivator.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=XN9v9YO0GxNpdkYnCusLAI2NCC__fbNec0HFpgpZhlY=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Yield Is Important — But It’s Not the Whole Story<br></h3><p>Official figures show that average cereal yields in 2024 were around 7.8 tonnes per hectare, with spring barley performing strongly and winter wheat more variable.</p><p>Those are solid yields. But on smaller farms, yield alone doesn’t guarantee security.</p><p>With limited hectares:</p><ul><li>Fixed costs bite harder per hectare.</li><li>There’s less scope to spread risk across crops.</li><li>Any dip in yield or price hits a larger proportion of total output.</li></ul><p><br>That’s why many tillage farmers talk less about headline yields and more about consistency. A steady year is often worth more than a brilliant one followed by a poor one.</p><figure id="figure-z7lv9i354bml43juin" class=""><img id="z7lv9i354bml43juin" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1351828379/photo/tractor-ploughs-a-field-on-a-yorkshire-farm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=3XYojgU3ydqnLLvtXO2cLyPtRheSiDHO-a1tb5PQjP4=" alt="Tractor ploughs a field on a Yorkshire farm" title="Tractor ploughs a field on a Yorkshire farm" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1351828379/photo/tractor-ploughs-a-field-on-a-yorkshire-farm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=3XYojgU3ydqnLLvtXO2cLyPtRheSiDHO-a1tb5PQjP4=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What the Income Figures Say<br></h3><p>Average tillage farm income in 2023 stood at around €21,399. That figure hides a wide range of outcomes, but it gives context to the pressure many farms are under.</p><p>On smaller tillage units, that income has to cover:</p><ul><li>Household costs.</li><li>Reinvestment.</li><li>Machinery upkeep.</li><li>Increasingly unpredictable weather-related expenses.</li></ul><p>There’s not a lot of slack in that system. When costs rise or output slips, the effect is felt quickly.</p><figure id="figure-t9l15bz39pml43m19t" class=""><img id="t9l15bz39pml43m19t" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2157694850/photo/rear-view-of-a-large-tractor-with-a-plow-standing-in-a-field.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=TDHgSaaAbT9n4MFKk-fXCTy3MDAEiEpCEKxREGoZcj4=" alt="Rear view of a large tractor with a plow standing in a field." title="Rear view of a large tractor with a plow standing in a field." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2157694850/photo/rear-view-of-a-large-tractor-with-a-plow-standing-in-a-field.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=TDHgSaaAbT9n4MFKk-fXCTy3MDAEiEpCEKxREGoZcj4=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Why Machinery and Timing Matter So Much<br></h3><p>On farms under 30 hectares, machinery decisions are rarely about preference, they’re about necessity.</p><p>Owning large equipment is hard to justify, contracting becomes essential. And when you’re dependent on contractors, timing becomes critical.</p><p>If weather closes in, there isn’t another block of land to move on to while you wait. Everything depends on the same ground becoming workable again.</p><p>That’s why weather windows loom so large in tillage conversations. On smaller farms, missing a window isn’t an inconvenience, it can define the year.</p><figure id="figure-1acmlpk6esml43osw9"><img id="1acmlpk6esml43osw9" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2249011533/photo/surroundings-of-clifden-castle-in-ireland-green-grass-with-two-scarecrows.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=dbLSbSmlFKEMWuJniBZCTVI8rE1nSxD3kMtH6Esdy7g=" alt="Surroundings of Clifden Castle in Ireland: green grass with two scarecrows." title="Surroundings of Clifden Castle in Ireland: green grass with two scarecrows." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2249011533/photo/surroundings-of-clifden-castle-in-ireland-green-grass-with-two-scarecrows.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=dbLSbSmlFKEMWuJniBZCTVI8rE1nSxD3kMtH6Esdy7g=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Small Scale Doesn’t Mean Small Skill<br></h3><p>It’s important to say this clearly: small-scale tillage farming is not a sign of inefficiency. Many of the most skilled operators in the sector are working on modest areas, extracting strong performance through attention to detail and careful management.</p><p>But when nearly three-quarters of the sector is operating below 30 hectares, risk is concentrated by default. Volatility is magnified, and resilience depends on getting a lot of decisions right, year after year.</p><p>That’s not a complaint, it’s a reality.</p><figure id="figure-t8hva1b8aml43swyr" class=""><img id="t8hva1b8aml43swyr" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2164440570/photo/aerial-high-angle-view-of-tractor-ploughing-field-vertical-line.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=Hii3_Fji_WlDMYnrelaI2vHNjfRNWaQYLczF3KbCVNM=" alt="Aerial High Angle View Of Tractor Ploughing Field Vertical Line" title="Aerial High Angle View Of Tractor Ploughing Field Vertical Line" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2164440570/photo/aerial-high-angle-view-of-tractor-ploughing-field-vertical-line.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=Hii3_Fji_WlDMYnrelaI2vHNjfRNWaQYLczF3KbCVNM=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The fact that around 72% of Irish tillage farms are under 30 hectares isn’t just an interesting data point. It’s a key to understanding the sector as it actually exists.</p><p>It explains why weather hits so hard, why margins feel tight even in reasonable years, and why tillage farmers are so focused on efficiency, timing and cost control.</p><p>Irish tillage farming isn’t short on expertise or effort. What many farms are short on is scale, and recognising that reality is essential if the sector is to remain viable in an increasingly challenging environment.</p><p><br data-mce-bogus="1"></p><p>*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.&nbsp;<br></p>

The Impact of Farm Size on Irish Tillage Practices

Farm Gates submerged in a Flooded area after Rainstorm

<h3>Introduction</h3><p>Most Irish farmers don’t need climate reports to tell them it’s getting wetter. They see it in fields that don’t dry out, in silage that slips later every year, and in ground that looks fine from the gate but won’t carry a machine when you try to work it.</p><p>What’s changed is that the figures now line up with that experience. Ireland’s rainfall patterns have shifted, and those shifts are no longer subtle. They’re affecting how farms run, how much they cost to operate, and how much margin is left at the end of the year.</p><p>This isn’t just about weather anymore, it’s about economics.</p><figure id="figure-43wot951sml41n03q" class=""><img id="43wot951sml41n03q" src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/24Ueuv1oD8iDjf8XzwH65DY44JF6qjF59z3qrFSGhIBjOlz2mDgN6dsuIMOxqYqy.jpeg" alt="ireland rain" class="object-cover bg-gray-100" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/24Ueuv1oD8iDjf8XzwH65DY44JF6qjF59z3qrFSGhIBjOlz2mDgN6dsuIMOxqYqy.jpeg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9;"></figure><h3>The Rainfall Baseline Has Moved<br></h3><p>Ireland’s current long-term climate average shows that average annual rainfall is now about 1,288 mm, based on the 1991–2020 period. That represents an increase of around 7 percent compared with the 1961–1990 average.</p><p>On paper, 7 percent might sound modest. On a farm, it isn’t.</p><p>That extra rainfall means more water moving through soils year after year. It means land takes longer to dry after rain, it means a field that used to be workable two days after a shower might now need four or five, and it means the margin for timing jobs has narrowed.</p><p>This isn’t confined to one part of the country either. While the west still takes the brunt of total rainfall, the upward trend is visible right across Ireland.</p><figure id="figure-zr275s3kd6ml41sz46" class=""><img id="zr275s3kd6ml41sz46" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/804724700/photo/flooded-irish-meadow.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=vBY2VKN62_QjMIBnC7XcuxC2h2lxLVKUkKEPQCLnNxI=" alt="Flooded irish meadow" title="Flooded irish meadow" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/804724700/photo/flooded-irish-meadow.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=vBY2VKN62_QjMIBnC7XcuxC2h2lxLVKUkKEPQCLnNxI=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Wet Winters Are Where the Pressure Builds<br></h3><p>The data also shows that winter rainfall has increased more than other seasons, and that’s where many farms feel the strain most sharply.</p><p>Winter is supposed to be a recovery period for land. Instead, wetter winters now leave soils saturated heading into spring. Water tables stay high, ground doesn’t firm up the way it used to.</p><p>That has knock-on effects that stretch far beyond winter itself:</p><ul><li>Spring access is delayed.</li><li>Early fertiliser and slurry timing becomes harder.</li><li>Grazing starts later.</li><li>Soil damage risk increases the moment machinery or livestock go back out.<br></li></ul><p>A wet winter doesn’t end in February. It shadows the whole year.</p><figure id="figure-m0jbpl0u23ml41uqwk" class=""><img id="m0jbpl0u23ml41uqwk" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2227142080/photo/rural-landscape-with-dramatic-sky-showing-storm-clouds-and-farmland.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=4BLwn3mMNVVjH2nzhxd55pS4r8BiXFDVM_M8ZaOyEFw=" alt="Rural Landscape with Dramatic Sky Showing Storm Clouds and Farmland" title="Rural Landscape with Dramatic Sky Showing Storm Clouds and Farmland" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2227142080/photo/rural-landscape-with-dramatic-sky-showing-storm-clouds-and-farmland.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=4BLwn3mMNVVjH2nzhxd55pS4r8BiXFDVM_M8ZaOyEFw=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;"></figure><h3>It’s Not Just More Rain — It Falls Differently Now<br></h3><p>Another change farmers talk about a lot is how rain arrives.</p><p>Instead of steady, soaking rainfall spread over days, there’s more evidence of rain falling in short, heavy bursts. These downpours overwhelm soils and drains far more quickly than older patterns of rainfall ever did.</p><p>That’s why you can get flash flooding in fields that drained reasonably well in the past. It’s why a week that looks workable on paper can be undone by one heavy day of rain.</p><p>Farmers often describe having “less reliable breaks” in the weather. That description fits the data.</p><figure id="figure-15mn7myeyml41wmc9" class=""><img id="15mn7myeyml41wmc9" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1581465816/photo/storm-clouds-gathering-over-playing-fields.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=4ALxQSXDyb9r2KOMVPSaKoJmzER03h7_qw7YD8QU7Rw=" alt="Storm clouds gathering over playing fields" title="Storm clouds gathering over playing fields" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1581465816/photo/storm-clouds-gathering-over-playing-fields.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=4ALxQSXDyb9r2KOMVPSaKoJmzER03h7_qw7YD8QU7Rw=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Where the Cost Shows Up on Farms<br></h3><p>The economic impact of wetter conditions doesn’t usually come as a single obvious loss. It builds quietly.</p><p>When land access is delayed:</p><ul><li>Sowing dates slip.</li><li>Reseeding is pushed back.</li><li>Silage cuts move later.</li><li>Grazing rotations tighten.</li></ul><p><br>Over time, that leads to:</p><ul><li>Lower grass utilisation.</li><li>Greater reliance on bought-in feed.</li><li>Poorer fertiliser efficiency.</li><li>More wear on roadways, gateways and infrastructure as work is done in poorer conditions.</li></ul><p><br>None of this needs a flood or a disaster. It happens in ordinary wet years, and those years are becoming more common.</p><figure id="figure-he1d8goiyml41zhqy" class=""><img id="he1d8goiyml41zhqy" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1227623106/photo/red-angus-irish-countryside.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=f1IT7CZ7wRF0k0sIQaAWueDsJVU14310C_3aABAhe38=" alt="Red Angus - Irish countryside" title="Red Angus - Irish countryside" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1227623106/photo/red-angus-irish-countryside.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=f1IT7CZ7wRF0k0sIQaAWueDsJVU14310C_3aABAhe38=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Payments Help, But They Don’t Cancel Out Weather<br></h3><p>Direct payments and schemes provide vital stability. They help keep farms viable through volatility and rising costs.</p><p>But they don’t stop rainfall from reshaping how land performs.</p><p>Wetter conditions can still mean:</p><ul><li>Reduced output even when scheme requirements are met.</li><li>More pressure around compliance when ground conditions limit options.</li><li>Extra cost just to maintain land in workable shape.</li></ul><p>Support payments cushion the impact. They don’t erase the lost days, the poorer silage, or the infrastructure strain that comes with persistent wet weather.</p><figure id="figure-cxsf47o7zml425zqs"><img id="cxsf47o7zml425zqs" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2253644148/photo/flooded-farmland-after-heavy-rain-storm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=QSJGLzWxRh6C7hrFxkcTNq0s1gDAHJLcwFSb8edP9J0=" alt="Flooded farmland after heavy rain storm" title="Flooded farmland after heavy rain storm" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2253644148/photo/flooded-farmland-after-heavy-rain-storm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=QSJGLzWxRh6C7hrFxkcTNq0s1gDAHJLcwFSb8edP9J0=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Drainage and Maintenance Are No Longer Optional Extras<br></h3><p>One of the clearest signs of change is how often drainage and maintenance work now comes up in conversation.</p><p>Higher annual rainfall and heavier downpours mean:</p><ul><li>Drains need more frequent attention.</li><li>Ditches silt up faster.</li><li>Gateways break down sooner.</li><li>Fields that once coped now struggle.</li></ul><p><br>These aren’t once-off expenses, they recur, and on heavier land, they can quickly become a permanent line in the cost structure of the farm.</p><figure id="figure-c53b0o9j0rml4286ym" class=""><img id="c53b0o9j0rml4286ym" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2191323452/photo/view-of-clonakilty-bay-thick-grass-the-coastline-of-the-ireland-seaside-landscape-cloudy.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=cvCqWQ4c14wIrupdpCc_1WRmKBSAmvEIeBBZtroCnk8=" alt="View of Clonakilty Bay. Thick grass. The coastline of the Ireland. Seaside landscape. Cloudy weather before a thunderstorm." title="View of Clonakilty Bay. Thick grass. The coastline of the Ireland. Seaside landscape. Cloudy weather before a thunderstorm." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2191323452/photo/view-of-clonakilty-bay-thick-grass-the-coastline-of-the-ireland-seaside-landscape-cloudy.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=cvCqWQ4c14wIrupdpCc_1WRmKBSAmvEIeBBZtroCnk8=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Livestock Feel It Too</h3><p>Animals don’t ignore wet ground.</p><p>Persistently soft conditions increase the risk of:</p><ul><li>Lameness.</li><li>Hoof and skin problems.</li><li>Hygiene issues.</li><li>Inefficient grazing.</li></ul><p><br>Even when housing is available, managing stock in and out of sheds becomes harder when ground never truly firms up. Labour increases, stress increases, performance can slip without there ever being a single dramatic event.</p><figure id="figure-agbrzrc8wpml42ant7" class=""><img id="agbrzrc8wpml42ant7" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1227623106/photo/red-angus-irish-countryside.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=f1IT7CZ7wRF0k0sIQaAWueDsJVU14310C_3aABAhe38=" alt="Red Angus - Irish countryside" title="Red Angus - Irish countryside" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1227623106/photo/red-angus-irish-countryside.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=f1IT7CZ7wRF0k0sIQaAWueDsJVU14310C_3aABAhe38=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What This Means Going Forward<br></h3><p>A 7 percent increase in annual rainfall, combined with wetter winters and heavier rainfall events, changes the rules farms operate under.</p><p>It shortens workable windows, it raises the cost of mistakes, it forces investment just to maintain existing performance, and it leaves less room for flexibility when weather turns against you.</p><p>Irish farming has always adapted to weather. What’s different now is that wetter conditions are becoming the baseline rather than the exception.</p><figure id="figure-la6x1avrjfml42brhg" class=""><img id="la6x1avrjfml42brhg" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1310141640/photo/dramatic-storm-sky-mist-and-heavy-rain-in-ladies-view.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=lyquZ7LNKyua0_LIec74Rhx3xI-UXrH9I5iDNPl7AhE=" alt="Dramatic storm sky, mist and heavy rain in Ladies View" title="Dramatic storm sky, mist and heavy rain in Ladies View" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="null" data-positiony="null" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1310141640/photo/dramatic-storm-sky-mist-and-heavy-rain-in-ladies-view.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=lyquZ7LNKyua0_LIec74Rhx3xI-UXrH9I5iDNPl7AhE=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Climate change doesn’t arrive on farms as a headline or a policy debate. It arrives as another wet week, another job pushed back, another field that doesn’t quite recover.</p><p>The figures show that Ireland is already wetter than it was a generation ago. For farmers, that reality now feeds directly into costs, workload and long-term planning.</p><p>Understanding those numbers isn’t about alarmism. It’s about being honest about the conditions farms are now operating in, and planning accordingly.</p><p>If you’d like, I can follow this with a practical piece on adapting farm systems to wetter conditions, focusing on drainage priorities, soil resilience and decision-making under tighter weather windows.</p><p><br></p><p>*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.&nbsp;</p>

Navigating Ireland's Rising Rainfall: Impacts on Farmers and the Economy

Four curious beef cattle investigate photographer standing at farm field fence

<h3>Introduction</h3><p>Most treatment delays don’t come from carelessness. They come from experience.</p><p>Every farmer has looked at an animal and thought, "I’ll give it a day. Maybe it’s just off, maybe it’ll sort itself out. Livestock dip and recover all the time, and nobody wants to overreact."</p><p>But the hard truth is that when the call goes the wrong way, the cost rarely shows up as a dramatic crisis. It shows up as performance that never fully comes back, and that’s where the real damage sits.</p><p>The figures behind that damage aren’t guesswork. They’re measured, and they explain why timing matters more than most of us like to admit.</p><figure id="figure-sznbkhup5omkzbskf8" class=""><img id="sznbkhup5omkzbskf8" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1168129915/photo/happy-veterinarian-examining-a-calf.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=o5g9evDAFOd1-D7Fu8lZ4J8lFwx-SOVcMxuyxPA5bOM=" alt="Happy veterinarian examining a calf" title="Happy veterinarian examining a calf" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1168129915/photo/happy-veterinarian-examining-a-calf.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=o5g9evDAFOd1-D7Fu8lZ4J8lFwx-SOVcMxuyxPA5bOM=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Lameness: the slow leak that drains output<br></h3><p>Lameness is one of those problems that can look minor on Monday and expensive by Friday.</p><p>Across full-lactation measurements, lame dairy cows are recorded as losing between 270 kg and 574 kg of milk in a single lactation. That’s not a bad week,&nbsp; that’s milk that never appears at all.</p><p>There’s also a recognised whole-case cost attached to lameness. When you factor in lost production and fertility effects, the average financial impact is around €300 per case. That number exists because farms repeatedly see the same pattern: animals recover, but performance doesn’t fully rebound.</p><p>It isn’t just dairy. In finishing cattle, lameness has been measured to reduce daily liveweight gain by about 240 g per day during the affected period. That might not sound huge in isolation, but over weeks it shifts finishing targets and feed efficiency in a way that’s very hard to claw back.</p><p>The mistake isn’t the first limp. It’s letting it drift.</p><figure id="figure-5ki1q9wovmkzbur7f" class=""><img id="5ki1q9wovmkzbur7f" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1316786234/photo/beautiful-female-vet-inspects-a-white-horse-love-medicine-pet-care-trust-happiness-health.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=-Vqt05uYV6K7Mw6EilPg4L-p1Yz8c-5DSK257mALRkc=" alt="beautiful female vet inspects a white horse. Love, medicine, pet care, trust, happiness, health. Damage to the leg, knee, sprain. Pain, suffering an old horse. lameness. close up" title="beautiful female vet inspects a white horse. Love, medicine, pet care, trust, happiness, health. Damage to the leg, knee, sprain. Pain, suffering an old horse. lameness. close up" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1316786234/photo/beautiful-female-vet-inspects-a-white-horse-love-medicine-pet-care-trust-happiness-health.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=-Vqt05uYV6K7Mw6EilPg4L-p1Yz8c-5DSK257mALRkc=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Calf pneumonia: the damage you don’t see straight away<br></h3><p>Respiratory disease is where delay becomes expensive in a quieter way.</p><p>By the time a calf looks obviously sick, lung damage may already be happening and the numbers attached to that damage are uncomfortable.</p><p>Guidance used by vets and advisors consistently points to the same outcome: a beef calf that has had pneumonia can lose 0.2 kg per day in adult liveweight gain and take around 14 days longer to finish.</p><p>That’s not just a setback in the moment. It’s a lifetime penalty. More feed, more days on farm, more pressure on housing, and an animal that never quite matches its healthy peers.</p><p>What makes pneumonia costly isn’t the treatment, it’s the performance gap that lingers long after the coughing stops.</p><figure id="figure-1yfxtm8icmkzbwhx6" class=""><img id="1yfxtm8icmkzbwhx6" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/884527740/photo/he-needs-his-milk.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=YlsQqwsGZ5XCffYs6gx_1b1yhYnesYwa73gRG-OCiDY=" alt="He needs his milk" title="He needs his milk" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/884527740/photo/he-needs-his-milk.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=YlsQqwsGZ5XCffYs6gx_1b1yhYnesYwa73gRG-OCiDY=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Fertility: where delays echo into the future<br></h3><p>Fertility problems rarely shout, they accumulate.</p><p>The recognised €300 per case cost of lameness already includes fertility effects, and that’s not accidental. Animals that struggle with health issues often show it later in cycling, conception and calving patterns.</p><p>A cow that looks “fine now” but misses momentum in her system carries that delay forward. And fertility slippage is one of the hardest losses to recover because it affects the entire production cycle.</p><p>That’s why delayed treatment decisions don’t stay contained. They ripple outward.</p><figure id="figure-dyu7cjmnzmkzbyd5z" class=""><img id="dyu7cjmnzmkzbyd5z" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1227623106/photo/red-angus-irish-countryside.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=f1IT7CZ7wRF0k0sIQaAWueDsJVU14310C_3aABAhe38=" alt="Red Angus - Irish countryside" title="Red Angus - Irish countryside" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1227623106/photo/red-angus-irish-countryside.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=f1IT7CZ7wRF0k0sIQaAWueDsJVU14310C_3aABAhe38=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>The cost you feel first: time<br></h3><p>The financial numbers matter, but most farmers feel the labour cost before they ever calculate the euro figure.</p><p>A case handled early is one treatment, one decision, done. A case that drifts becomes:</p><ul><li>Repeat handling.</li><li>Repeat checking.</li><li>Extra separation.</li><li>Extra bedding.</li><li>Extra attention that steals time from everything else.</li></ul><p>That time pressure builds quietly. And on farms already running tight schedules, lingering health cases add a mental weight that doesn’t show up on paper but shows up in the week.</p><figure id="figure-v1e3bdewvumkzc0fyp" class=""><img id="v1e3bdewvumkzc0fyp" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1132035097/photo/what-is-this-thing-looking-at-me.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=fl7ziWl49Rn9SrrZsWUGtejZTRWkVeOD9UwdXX7MWHk=" alt="What is this thing looking at me?" title="What is this thing looking at me?" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="null" data-positiony="null" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1132035097/photo/what-is-this-thing-looking-at-me.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=fl7ziWl49Rn9SrrZsWUGtejZTRWkVeOD9UwdXX7MWHk=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What “early” really means<br></h3><p>Early doesn’t mean panic, it means recognising when an animal isn’t correcting quickly and deciding not to gamble on time.</p><p>The animals that cost the most are rarely the ones that crash dramatically. They’re the ones that hover in that grey area, not sick enough to act on immediately, but never right again afterwards.</p><p>And the numbers explain why that grey area is expensive:</p><ul><li>270–574 kg of milk lost in a lactation from lameness.</li><li>Around €300 per lameness case.</li><li>240 g/day lost gain in lame finishing cattle.</li><li>0.2 kg/day lifetime loss after pneumonia,</li><li>14 extra days to finish.</li></ul><p>Those figures don’t come from bad luck. They come from delays that compound.</p><figure id="figure-exmgofsndomkzc29d9" class=""><img id="exmgofsndomkzc29d9" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1132035079/photo/hows-my-lovely-girls-doing-this-morning.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=a67waQypD7PJ0gKGsSdarBHNZ8SaSaEb6SN9C5BtPzo=" alt="How's my lovely girls doing this morning?" title="How's my lovely girls doing this morning?" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1132035079/photo/hows-my-lovely-girls-doing-this-morning.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=a67waQypD7PJ0gKGsSdarBHNZ8SaSaEb6SN9C5BtPzo=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Delayed treatment decisions rarely feel like mistakes in the moment. They feel like patience, like experience, like giving an animal a chance.</p><p>But livestock systems don’t refund lost time. Once performance slips, it doesn’t politely return. That’s why the real cost of delay isn’t dramatic, it’s steady. It’s the quiet erosion of output that adds up across a herd, across a season, across a year.</p><p>And more often than not, the cheapest decision on a livestock farm is the one made a day earlier.</p><p><br data-mce-bogus="1"></p><p>*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.</p>

The Impact of Delayed Treatment Decisions on Agriculture

India and European Union - Flag handshake symbolizing partnership and cooperation

<h3>Introduction</h3><p>When news broke in early 2026 that the European Union and India had finally agreed a trade deal, the reaction was immediate and emphatic. This was described as one of the biggest agreements the EU has ever signed, a deal decades in the making, and one that would reshape global trade relationships.</p><p>On paper, that’s true. But when you look at it through an Irish farming lens, the picture becomes more complicated. Because, while this deal opens doors wide for many sectors, most of the doors that matter to Irish agriculture remain firmly shut.</p><figure id="figure-2hfsona1somkxw51w5" class=""><img id="2hfsona1somkxw51w5" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/914754038/photo/european-union-and-indian-flag-pair-on-a-desk-over-defocused-background.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=M0hpQj5N5FVXl5yk-mbnYibZAj-p-jvpkYZ-luFXESQ=" alt="European Union And Indian Flag Pair On A Desk Over Defocused Background" title="European Union And Indian Flag Pair On A Desk Over Defocused Background" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/914754038/photo/european-union-and-indian-flag-pair-on-a-desk-over-defocused-background.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=M0hpQj5N5FVXl5yk-mbnYibZAj-p-jvpkYZ-luFXESQ=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>The Scale Is Undeniable</h3><p>There’s no getting away from the size of this agreement.</p><p>Together, the EU and India represent a combined market of around two billion people. In global terms, that’s enormous. The two blocs account for roughly one quarter of global GDP and around one third of global trade.</p><p>The mechanics of the deal are equally striking:</p><ul><li>Tariffs will be removed or reduced on 96.6% of goods traded by value between the EU and India.</li><li>EU exporters are expected to save up to €4 billion per year in customs duties once the agreement is fully in force.</li></ul><p>On top of that, EU projections suggest exports from the EU to India could double by 2032, driven mainly by improved access for industrial goods, manufactured products and services.</p><p>For many sectors, that’s a game changer. For farming, it’s a reminder that scale doesn’t always translate into opportunity.</p><figure id="figure-rn1tfl4bskmkxw79ps" class=""><img id="rn1tfl4bskmkxw79ps" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/884499500/photo/hand-fed.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=LSw10w4Nj-uloTHtM2Mp2FMpUKQf11ECOndfiY24mcs=" alt="Hand fed" title="Hand fed" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/884499500/photo/hand-fed.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=LSw10w4Nj-uloTHtM2Mp2FMpUKQf11ECOndfiY24mcs=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Where Agriculture Sits in the Deal<br></h3><p>Despite the size of the agreement, core agricultural products were deliberately excluded from tariff liberalisation.</p><p>The products clearly kept outside the main concessions include:</p><ul><li>Beef.</li><li>Dairy products.</li><li>Rice.</li><li>Sugar.</li><li>Soya.</li></ul><p>Tariffs on these goods remain in place. There’s no phased reduction, no headline market opening, and no sudden access to a fast-growing consumer base.</p><p>This wasn’t an accident or an oversight. It reflects political reality. India continues to protect its domestic farming sector, which supports hundreds of millions of people. On the EU side, agriculture remains one of the most sensitive areas in any trade negotiation, particularly where high standards and farm incomes are concerned.</p><p>For Irish farming, the result is familiar: protection, but not progress.</p><figure id="figure-vasipz9q0hmkxw9ein" class=""><img id="vasipz9q0hmkxw9ein" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/875237218/photo/headed-off-the-feed-the-livestock.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=fJX8j8QW-COti-8WssxjbOtV49Dtxrd2nAGX8bKi2pM=" alt="Headed off the feed the livestock" title="Headed off the feed the livestock" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/875237218/photo/headed-off-the-feed-the-livestock.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=fJX8j8QW-COti-8WssxjbOtV49Dtxrd2nAGX8bKi2pM=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What That Means on Irish Farms<br></h3><p>Ireland’s export-led farming model relies heavily on beef and dairy. Those are precisely the products that sit firmly on the “sensitive” list in this deal.</p><p>In practical terms:</p><ul><li>Irish beef and dairy do not gain preferential access to the Indian market.</li><li>At the same time, Irish farmers are protected from increased imports of those same products entering the EU at reduced tariffs.</li></ul><p>So there’s no immediate upside, but no immediate threat either.</p><p>What it does underline, though, is a wider trend that farmers recognise all too well. When trade deals reach the finishing line, primary agriculture is often something to be managed and contained, rather than actively expanded.</p><figure id="figure-x6nzzchtqmkxwazcf" class=""><img id="x6nzzchtqmkxwazcf" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1433127712/photo/harvest-wheat-grain-and-crop-aerial-view-harvesting-wheat-oats-barley-in-fields-ranches-and.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=EWZOrnJ9sMTk0KnoEGwUj637WrliH0JSqynpYr6LyGI=" alt="Harvest wheat grain and crop aerial view.Harvesting wheat,oats, barley in fields,ranches and farmlands.Combines mow in the field.Agro-industry.Combine Harvester Cutting on wheat filed.Machine harvest" title="Harvest wheat grain and crop aerial view.Harvesting wheat,oats, barley in fields,ranches and farmlands.Combines mow in the field.Agro-industry.Combine Harvester Cutting on wheat filed.Machine harvest" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="null" data-positiony="null" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1433127712/photo/harvest-wheat-grain-and-crop-aerial-view-harvesting-wheat-oats-barley-in-fields-ranches-and.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=EWZOrnJ9sMTk0KnoEGwUj637WrliH0JSqynpYr6LyGI=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Where Agriculture Does Win: Whiskey and Spirits<br></h3><p>There is, however, one part of the agri-food world that stands out, and it’s worth paying attention to why.</p><p>Spirits, including Irish whiskey, are treated very differently under this agreement. They fall into the category of processed, value-added products, rather than primary agricultural commodities.</p><p>As a result:</p><ul><li>Indian import duties on European spirits, which have historically been as high as 150%, are set to be reduced to 40% over time.<br>That change is significant, because India is already one of the fastest-growing whiskey markets in the world.</li></ul><p>The numbers tell their own story:</p><ul><li>In 2024, Irish whiskey sales in India exceeded 700,000 cases.</li><li>This represented a 57% increase on the previous year.</li><li>Sales were around 900% higher than in 2020.</li></ul><p>Those figures matter because they show where trade deals are delivering tangible gains. Value-added, branded products are increasingly at the centre of global trade strategy, while raw commodities remain on the edges.</p><figure id="figure-0mxrrnfcfmkxwefnf" class=""><img id="0mxrrnfcfmkxwefnf" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1533708786/photo/glass-of-whiskey-with-ice-cubes-on-the-old-barrel.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=Za3vGaxgVsf6YuHbTtKP89BO8WhN-Hp3DUL3HHPyCMg=" alt="Glass of whiskey with ice cubes on the old barrel" title="Glass of whiskey with ice cubes on the old barrel" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1533708786/photo/glass-of-whiskey-with-ice-cubes-on-the-old-barrel.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=Za3vGaxgVsf6YuHbTtKP89BO8WhN-Hp3DUL3HHPyCMg=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>A Very Clear Divide<br></h3><p>This agreement draws a sharp line.</p><p>On one side are:</p><ul><li>Industrial goods.</li><li>Manufactured products,</li><li>Services.</li><li>Value-added food and drink such as spirits.</li></ul><p>On the other are:</p><ul><li>Sensitive primary agricultural products like beef and dairy.</li></ul><p>For Irish farming, that split isn’t new, but it is becoming more pronounced. Protection remains, but meaningful new export opportunities for core farm outputs continue to be hard to secure in large trade negotiations.</p><figure id="figure-skmpdmown6mkxwgkqh" class=""><img id="skmpdmown6mkxwgkqh" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/888067290/photo/ahead-of-the-herd.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=pIubwfWnL_UkO4sY_tioD11717CzS5WJ_M1gQmbLqGY=" alt="Ahead of the herd" title="Ahead of the herd" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/888067290/photo/ahead-of-the-herd.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=pIubwfWnL_UkO4sY_tioD11717CzS5WJ_M1gQmbLqGY=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Why Farmers Still Need to Pay Attention<br></h3><p>Even though agriculture sits largely outside the deal, it would be a mistake to dismiss it as irrelevant.</p><p>Lower tariffs on machinery and manufactured goods affect input markets. Growth in processing, drink and export-led sectors supports rural employment. And the success of products like Irish whiskey highlights where policy, investment and trade momentum are heading.</p><p>For farmers and agri-food businesses, understanding what is included and what is excluded in deals like this is essential when making long-term decisions.</p><figure id="figure-ep6gj6ewbnmkxwjcab" class=""><img id="ep6gj6ewbnmkxwjcab" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/612759046/photo/pile-of-indian-and-european-flag-buttons-3d-illustration.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=A5sOQWiNbe8RKc3Kws1tT8cyk1ekeLtMthUWdCoSO3M=" alt="Pile of Indian and European Flag Buttons 3D Illustration" title="Pile of Indian and European Flag Buttons 3D Illustration" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="null" data-positiony="null" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/612759046/photo/pile-of-indian-and-european-flag-buttons-3d-illustration.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=A5sOQWiNbe8RKc3Kws1tT8cyk1ekeLtMthUWdCoSO3M=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The agreement still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament, EU member states and India’s legislature before it takes effect, a process expected to take many months. But the shape of the deal is already clear.</p><p>It reflects a broader global trend: trade agreements increasingly reward scale, processing and branding, while primary agriculture is protected, but rarely pushed forward.</p><p>For Irish farming, recognising that reality, and planning within it, may matter more than the headlines around any single deal.</p><p><br></p><p>*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.</p>

The Impact of the EU-India Trade Deal on Irish Farming

Aerial view of Blue green algae at the Canoe trail at Movanagher Lock Kilrea on The River Bann from Lough Neagh Northern Ireland

<h3>Introduction</h3><p>Irish aquaculture is talked about a lot, but rarely understood. It tends to surface in public discussion only when there’s a dispute, a delay, or an objection. Outside of those moments, it fades into the background, even though it’s producing food every day and supporting livelihoods along the coast.</p><p>That disconnect matters. Because when a sector is only visible through controversy, it never gets judged on its full reality.</p><figure id="figure-5bkf8otu88mkpmmyje" class=""><img id="5bkf8otu88mkpmmyje" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1495824071/photo/fish-farm-donegal-ireland-sustainability-food-production.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=uo4T5Gv1whr38rq2DRbWCfePC5xyPolFlc208Kwp1is=" alt="fish farm. Donegal Ireland, sustainability food production." title="fish farm. Donegal Ireland, sustainability food production." class="object-cover bg-gray-100" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1495824071/photo/fish-farm-donegal-ireland-sustainability-food-production.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=uo4T5Gv1whr38rq2DRbWCfePC5xyPolFlc208Kwp1is=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>A Sector With Real Economic Weight<br></h3><p>Aquaculture in Ireland supports around 2,300 direct jobs, most of them in coastal and rural areas where work can be scarce and alternatives limited. These aren’t abstract roles. They’re people working on sites, in hatcheries, in processing facilities, in logistics and support services that keep farms operating.</p><p>The sector generates hundreds of millions of euro in economic activity each year and contributes a significant share of Ireland’s seafood supply. Farmed salmon, oysters and mussels make up a substantial portion of what’s eaten at home and what’s sold abroad.</p><p>In simple terms, aquaculture accounts for roughly 40% of Ireland’s total seafood production. Yet it rarely features in national conversations about food security, rural employment or regional development in the same way land-based farming does.</p><p>That gap between contribution and recognition is hard to ignore if you work in the sector.</p><figure id="figure-bxhq5j214mkpmog19" class=""><img id="bxhq5j214mkpmog19" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2176961940/photo/a-marine-farming-is-surrounded-by-aquaculture-structures-the-calm-water-reflects-the-blue-sky.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=FxJHKuahp8FfbFqF13S-mxrQQcsPZGEiY_KnjKrqSyU=" alt="A marine farming, is surrounded by aquaculture structures. The calm water reflects the blue sky and the rolling hills of the coastline." title="A marine farming, is surrounded by aquaculture structures. The calm water reflects the blue sky and the rolling hills of the coastline." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2176961940/photo/a-marine-farming-is-surrounded-by-aquaculture-structures-the-calm-water-reflects-the-blue-sky.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=FxJHKuahp8FfbFqF13S-mxrQQcsPZGEiY_KnjKrqSyU=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>One of the Most Regulated Food Systems in the State<br></h3><p>There’s a persistent belief that fish farming operates with minimal oversight, anyone involved knows how far that is from the truth.</p><p>Aquaculture operates under layers of regulation; environmental licensing, planning consent, habitat protection, food safety rules, ongoing environmental monitoring, EU water and nature legislation. All of it applies, all of the time.</p><p>Production levels are cappe, stocking densities are controlled, environmental thresholds are set and enforced.</p><p>Taken together, aquaculture is one of the most tightly regulated forms of food production in Ireland. But most of that regulation is invisible to the public. People see cages, ropes or trestles from the shore. They don’t see the compliance systems, the monitoring data or the inspections behind them.</p><figure id="figure-9nebr6e5gnmkpmqfqt" class=""><img id="9nebr6e5gnmkpmqfqt" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/483626304/photo/harbour-jetty-at-ahakista-cork.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=De9vvSdTFVCIgRwiUbvM5J68juDESaaOOHxLIdbP0Fw=" alt="Harbour Jetty at Ahakista Cork" title="Harbour Jetty at Ahakista Cork" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/483626304/photo/harbour-jetty-at-ahakista-cork.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=De9vvSdTFVCIgRwiUbvM5J68juDESaaOOHxLIdbP0Fw=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Licensing Delays Shape the Entire Sector<br></h3><p>One of the biggest pressures facing Irish aquaculture is licensing, and it’s also one of the least understood.</p><p>In some cases, licence applications have taken over a decade to move through the system. During that time, farms are effectively frozen. Investment is put on hold. Expansion isn’t possible. Even basic planning becomes guesswork.</p><p>Equipment ages, staff move on, businesses operate in limbo.</p><p>These kinds of delays are not typical elsewhere in Europe, but they’ve become part of the landscape here. When that context is missing from public debate, stalled development is often misread as reluctance or lack of ambition, rather than a structural problem that farms have little control over.</p><figure id="figure-0s517bmanemkpmrot0" class=""><img id="0s517bmanemkpmrot0" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/674952414/photo/male-hands-holding-rainbow-trout-on-the-farm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=vn7KMcdRM-Ruwj7iPWW-klFAa5ZVJXaHijWtNOfbL6g=" alt="Male hands holding rainbow trout on the farm" title="Male hands holding rainbow trout on the farm" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/674952414/photo/male-hands-holding-rainbow-trout-on-the-farm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=vn7KMcdRM-Ruwj7iPWW-klFAa5ZVJXaHijWtNOfbL6g=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Environmental Debate Without Scale or Context<br></h3><p>Environmental protection matters. Aquaculture operates in shared waters and carries responsibility for how it does so.</p><p>But debate often happens without acknowledging that farms operate within fixed production limits, that monitoring data is routinely collected, and that non-compliance has real consequences, including reduced output or closure.</p><p>When aquaculture is discussed only as a potential risk, without reference to how tightly it is managed, it becomes easy to frame the entire sector as a problem rather than a regulated food system.</p><p>Over time, that framing shapes public opinion and political confidence, whether it’s fair or not.</p><figure id="figure-gxc8iddldimkpmsod7" class=""><img id="gxc8iddldimkpmsod7" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/670354046/photo/worker-on-the-oyster-farm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=V_7qvnUVb3gnV2z85iVZdeVOHy5Ms1HV2-C8Rk7KcXk=" alt="Worker on the oyster farm" title="Worker on the oyster farm" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/670354046/photo/worker-on-the-oyster-farm.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=V_7qvnUVb3gnV2z85iVZdeVOHy5Ms1HV2-C8Rk7KcXk=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Why the Sector Struggles to Tell Its Story<br></h3><p>There are practical reasons why aquaculture has a weak public narrative.</p><p>Fish farmers work around tides, weather windows, and biological cycles that don’t wait for office hours. Stock health, labour, equipment and compliance already fill the day. Public communication rarely makes it to the top of the list.</p><p>There’s also caution. Years of legal challenge and scrutiny have taught many operators to keep their heads down, even when they’re operating fully within the rules.</p><p>And aquaculture doesn’t fit neatly into how people imagine farming. It’s not on land, it’s not easy to visit, it doesn’t match familiar images of fields or sheds. That makes it easier to misunderstand, and easier to overlook.</p><figure id="figure-d3s0ruw09rmkpmu1ru" class=""><img id="d3s0ruw09rmkpmu1ru" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1429009528/photo/aerial-view-of-a-salmon-fish-farm-in-bantry-bay-in-county-cork-of-western-ireland.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=MgIjDzK0HmxGYgfmf-GQ316bvpj4f9qgt8Z42aJ5V4U=" alt="aerial view of a salmon fish farm in Bantry Bay in County Cork of western Ireland" title="aerial view of a salmon fish farm in Bantry Bay in County Cork of western Ireland" class="object-cover bg-gray-100" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="null" data-positiony="null" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1429009528/photo/aerial-view-of-a-salmon-fish-farm-in-bantry-bay-in-county-cork-of-western-ireland.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=MgIjDzK0HmxGYgfmf-GQ316bvpj4f9qgt8Z42aJ5V4U=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Why This Matters Now<br></h3><p>Pressure on food systems isn’t easing, wild fisheries are under strain, demand for protein continues to grow. Climate impacts are becoming more unpredictable year by year.</p><p>Aquaculture is one of the few food sectors capable of producing animal protein at scale without using agricultural land or freshwater. That makes it strategically important, whether or not the public conversation reflects it.</p><p>If Irish aquaculture is to remain viable, invest responsibly and support coastal communities, it needs more than regulation. It needs understanding.</p><figure id="figure-btpjkrv7omkpmv8p7" class=""><img id="btpjkrv7omkpmv8p7" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1313800064/photo/woodstown-beach-waterford-ireland-some-oyster-and-seafood-farm-on-the-beach.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=0T4NYFuNrBcu4SoiyEyGOv5e6KhWUcrtT3LAGv-W88I=" alt="Woodstown Beach, Waterford, Ireland. some Oyster and seafood farm on the beach." title="Woodstown Beach, Waterford, Ireland. some Oyster and seafood farm on the beach." class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1313800064/photo/woodstown-beach-waterford-ireland-some-oyster-and-seafood-farm-on-the-beach.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=0T4NYFuNrBcu4SoiyEyGOv5e6KhWUcrtT3LAGv-W88I=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Rebalancing the Conversation<br></h3><p>A stronger public narrative doesn’t mean glossing over challenges. It means explaining reality plainly and early.</p><p>It means stating clearly that aquaculture supports around 2,300 jobs, contributes hundreds of millions of euro to the economy, accounts for around 40% of seafood production, and operates under licensing delays measured in years, not months.</p><p>When those facts are missing, debate becomes distorted. When they’re present, discussion becomes more grounded and more honest.</p><figure id="figure-7coisuzozgmkpmw0kk" class=""><img id="7coisuzozgmkpmw0kk" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1172731272/photo/fresh-shellfish-display-on-english-market-for-sale-cork-ireland.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=zMIAHtjeUyahJyYT5osMge6DPy4ix9GOGscRSJ3EiqQ=" alt="Fresh Shellfish display on English Market for sale. Cork/Ireland" title="Fresh Shellfish display on English Market for sale. Cork/Ireland" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1172731272/photo/fresh-shellfish-display-on-english-market-for-sale-cork-ireland.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=zMIAHtjeUyahJyYT5osMge6DPy4ix9GOGscRSJ3EiqQ=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Irish aquaculture already carries heavy regulation. What it lacks isn’t oversight, but balance.</p><p>Without a clearer public narrative, the sector will continue to be judged on fragments rather than facts. And when decisions are made on fragments, the cost is paid by real people, real jobs and real coastal communities.</p><p>Aquaculture doesn’t need special treatment. It needs a fair hearing. And that starts with telling the full story, properly.</p><p><br></p><p>*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.</p>

Why Irish Aquaculture Needs a Stronger Public Narrative

<h3>Introduction</h3><p>Athlone doesn’t often find itself at the centre of national debate, but in early January 2026, that changed. What unfolded there wasn’t a symbolic gathering or a token show of opposition, it was one of the largest farming-related protests Ireland has seen in recent years.</p><p>Attendance figures varied, as they often do with events of this scale. Garda estimates put the crowd at around 27,000 people, while organisers said the turnout was closer to 30,000. Even at the lower end, it was a substantial mobilisation by any standard.</p><p>Farmers travelled from every corner of the country, many arriving by tractor, others by bus or car, joined by rural families and supporters. The message was clear and consistent: the proposed EU–Mercosur trade agreement has crossed a line for Irish agriculture.</p><figure id="figure-vei4hzb91gmkfnbmik" class=""><img id="vei4hzb91gmkfnbmik" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/507995116/photo/farmers-rally-france-europe.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=GG0epG1aPkfM5ijr6k45Zvzkm3_JLTgY6PbwH_8Etn8=" alt="Farmers rally, France, Europe" title="Farmers rally, France, Europe" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/507995116/photo/farmers-rally-france-europe.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=GG0epG1aPkfM5ijr6k45Zvzkm3_JLTgY6PbwH_8Etn8=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Why Farmers Turned Out in Such Numbers<br></h3><p>The focus of the protest was the proposed EU–Mercosur trade agreement, a deal that has been under negotiation for more than 25 years. It involves the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.</p><p>If it is fully implemented, the agreement would create a trade area covering more than 700 million consumers worldwide. It is designed to reduce tariffs and expand trade flows between Europe and South America across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture.</p><p>That scale is exactly what has unsettled many in Irish farming.</p><p>For beef farmers in particular, the concern is straightforward. The deal would increase access for South American beef into the EU market. Farmers fear this beef would be produced at lower cost and under different regulatory systems, while Irish producers continue to operate under some of the strictest environmental, animal welfare and food safety rules in the world.</p><figure id="figure-q2knkxgsjjmkfnexa6" class=""><img id="q2knkxgsjjmkfnexa6" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/579405346/photo/meat.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=5uDbWf_NgOJ08KeDQHcnBx34IRUsn9bXSBqW0y3fDIM=" alt="Meat" title="Meat" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/579405346/photo/meat.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=5uDbWf_NgOJ08KeDQHcnBx34IRUsn9bXSBqW0y3fDIM=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What Athlone Looked Like on the Day<br></h3><p>From early morning, roads into the town filled steadily. Tractors lined approach routes. Fields and car parks were pressed into service to manage the volume of people. Placards calling for fairness, food integrity and protection of Irish farming were everywhere.</p><p>The atmosphere was calm but determined. Stewards kept things moving. Speakers addressed the crowd throughout the day. There was anger, certainly, but it was controlled. This was about being heard, not causing disruption.</p><p>Some of the protest was symbolic. A mock coffin marked “EU Food Safety RIP” was carried during the demonstration. It wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t meant to be. For many there, it summed up a fear that Irish food standards, hard-won over decades, could be undermined by imports produced under very different conditions.</p><figure id="figure-wv6z0mtziimkfnnmuw" class=""><img id="wv6z0mtziimkfnnmuw" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1766290065/photo/young-woman-at-demonstration.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=XQlBLZV_WpdeHTgzTtlH8Ai9hcnqYZpHuHq8Fnxz6i0=" alt="Young woman at demonstration" title="Young woman at demonstration" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1766290065/photo/young-woman-at-demonstration.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=XQlBLZV_WpdeHTgzTtlH8Ai9hcnqYZpHuHq8Fnxz6i0=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What Farmers Are Saying<br></h3><p>Listening to people on the ground, the same points came up again and again.</p><p>Farmers spoke about the risk of being undercut by cheaper imports. They spoke about frustration at being held to high standards that may not be matched by imported food. Many talked openly about viability, about already tight margins, and about how little room there is left to absorb another hit.</p><p>More than one speaker described the deal as a death knell for Irish farming, particularly for beef producers. Others raised a quieter but no less serious concern: what message this sends to younger farmers deciding whether to stay in the sector at all.</p><figure id="figure-sj6w9itoymkfnp5m5" class=""><img id="sj6w9itoymkfnp5m5" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1132035084/photo/there-you-go-my-dear.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=hBepvMaVGw0voOsc1PotxMIJXSKcojNpEmaXbY-_IMw=" alt="There you go my dear" title="There you go my dear" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1132035084/photo/there-you-go-my-dear.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=hBepvMaVGw0voOsc1PotxMIJXSKcojNpEmaXbY-_IMw=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Where the Mercosur Deal Stands Now<br></h3><p>It’s important to be clear about where the deal actually stands.</p><p>The EU–Mercosur agreement has been backed at EU Council level by a qualified majority of member states, but it has not yet taken legal effect. For that to happen, it must still be approved by the European Parliament.</p><p>That ratification stage is now the main focus for those opposing the deal.</p><p>Ireland is among a group of EU countries that have publicly voiced opposition to the agreement in its current form. The concerns raised relate to agriculture, environmental protections and whether production standards can be enforced in practice. Other member states have made similar points, and political pressure is continuing as the parliamentary process moves closer.</p><figure id="figure-qcxp35gi2ymkfnqlta" class=""><img id="qcxp35gi2ymkfnqlta" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/173868970/photo/south-america-map.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=NJmRLjcOL6uIxFfnGjlwHSzUlYg2NmmZDpIx8Dib9qU=" alt="South America Map" title="South America Map" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/173868970/photo/south-america-map.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=NJmRLjcOL6uIxFfnGjlwHSzUlYg2NmmZDpIx8Dib9qU=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Why the Stakes Feel So High<br></h3><p>For the people who turned out in Athlone, this isn’t an abstract policy debate.</p><p>It’s about whether Irish farmers are being asked to compete on an uneven playing field. It’s about whether food standards mean the same thing when imports arrive at scale. And it’s about what happens to rural economies if farm incomes are pushed further under pressure.</p><p>Beef producers, in particular, feel exposed. Many believe that once increased imports begin, any damage done will be difficult to undo, regardless of assurances or safeguards offered later.</p><figure id="figure-0tlsiow4vmkfnrzjk" class=""><img id="0tlsiow4vmkfnrzjk" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1157317869/photo/beautiful-view-of-the-bridge-over-the-river-shannon-the-parish-church-of-ss-peter-and-paul.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=a4jtSOMhx0nm2yAo0sOOD3Y6Ktxgz2qeF7eTTuQUlv8=" alt="Beautiful view of the bridge over the river Shannon, the parish church of Ss. Peter and Paul and the castle in the town of Athlone" title="Beautiful view of the bridge over the river Shannon, the parish church of Ss. Peter and Paul and the castle in the town of Athlone" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1157317869/photo/beautiful-view-of-the-bridge-over-the-river-shannon-the-parish-church-of-ss-peter-and-paul.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=a4jtSOMhx0nm2yAo0sOOD3Y6Ktxgz2qeF7eTTuQUlv8=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>What Happens Next<br></h3><p>Organisers of the protest were clear on one thing: Athlone was not meant to be the end of this. It was a marker. Further political engagement, lobbying and mobilisation are expected as the European Parliament approaches its decision.</p><p>Whether the agreement is amended, delayed or ultimately blocked remains uncertain. What is not uncertain is the strength of feeling.</p><figure id="figure-168j0ynbosmkfnt3ue" class=""><img id="168j0ynbosmkfnt3ue" src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2165070436/photo/high-angle-view-of-crowd-on-street.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=Lrib8frGB_s320CUJFLmhrHxpK8sdpb3nmtgyaxrRuA=" alt="High Angle View Of Crowd On Street" title="High Angle View Of Crowd On Street" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2165070436/photo/high-angle-view-of-crowd-on-street.jpg?b=1&amp;s=2048x2048&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=Lrib8frGB_s320CUJFLmhrHxpK8sdpb3nmtgyaxrRuA=" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>With around 27,000 people counted by Gardaí and organisers estimating closer to 30,000, the protest sent a message that will be difficult to ignore. The Mercosur debate is no longer something happening quietly in Brussels. It has landed firmly in the middle of rural Ireland.</p><p>Whatever happens next, Irish farming has made one thing clear: it does not intend to be a silent stakeholder in decisions that could reshape its future.</p><p><br></p><p>*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.</p>

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