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Inside the Farmers Journal - bluetongue woes and IFA declare war

February 26, 2026·25 min·2 clips

A government TD warns Fianna Gael and Fianna Fáil can't do without farmers as IFA protests escalate.

Bluetongue comes first. Amy Ford opens with the practical worry: more cases have been found, and the virus has now been identified outside Wexford. Noel Barden gives the latest and explains the awkward lag between testing, confirmation, and public reporting. Then the row shifts to Bord Bia. The sharpest stretch is about IFA protests and what disruption could mean for trade. The minister says farmers have the right to peaceful protest, but he also warns that disruption could hurt farmers themselves. His door is still open. He points to a five-hour stakeholder meeting with IFA and other farm organisations, along with agreed interventions involving Bord Bia and his department. On the chairman issue, the government line is closed down pretty firmly. The minister says the position has been crystallised over four weeks, debated in the Oireachtas, and backed by a vote. Bord Bia still got through a four-and-a-half-hour board meeting, though staff working from home instead of being in the building is called suboptimal. The trade worry is plain enough: international buyers come in to buy farmers' food and produce, and the minister does not like the signal disruption sends. The exchange presses confidence in Larry Murren, but the answer stays close to the government line. The paper preview then widens out. Sarah covers career progression, salary dissatisfaction, off-farm employment, and upskilling. Louise Carter is the practical example: limited farming experience, an AI scanning course through LOETB, and now her own business.

As heard by us

A brisk farm-policy scan that ties animal health to the real cost of disruption.

The episode keeps its footing as it moves from animal-health pressure to farm politics. Bluetongue stays concrete rather than abstract: the rising cases, the spread beyond Wexford, and the lag between testing and confirmation give the discussion shape.

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Why you'd press play

Bluetongue, the IFA/Bord Bia row, and the week's farm-news roundup in one fast listen.

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