In this week’s Ear to the Ground the team report on the farmers fears of the loss of family land through divorce, Maeve spends a day harvesting silage and Ireland’s lack of forestation and its impacts are examined. RTÉ’s popular rural affairs programme is presented by Maeve Dineen, Helen Carroll and Darragh McCullough.
Irish Courts granted 3,347 divorces during 2004 – a 12.7% increase on the number of divorce decrees granted in 2003. With land prices booming, parents are worried about handing over the farm to their children in case their spouse takes half the land if they separate. Helen Carroll reports.
Maeve Dineen spends a day harvesting silage with Pat Farrelly in Co. Meath. Pat and his brother Peter have one of the largest agricultural contracting businesses in the country. Using state-of-the-art machinery the Farrellys work round the clock cutting up to 5,000 acres each year.
Farmers all around the country are receiving a Handbook in the post explaining the new Protection of Waters Regulations that have now been put into law. Maeve Dineen speaks to farmers about the regulations, which are also part of cross-compliance for the Single Payment Scheme, to find out how it will affect them.