A Flavour of What to Expect at GLAS 2012

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UK: Staffordshire Fruit Farms Allowed to Keep Polytunnels

Two fruit farms in Staffordshire are being allowed to keep their polytunnels after local authorities have said that it they are vital for the local economy.

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U.S. Forms Organic Equivalency Partnership with E.U.

Growers now only need one certification to sell in both markets.

Organic growers in the U.S. and European Union will now be able to sell food labeled organic in both markets. In the past, organic growers have had to obtain separate certifications for each standard, meaning two sets of fees, inspections and paperwork.

Read more: U.S. Forms Organic Equivalency Partnership with E.U.

Harvest of Irish Food - Tradition, Technology, Trends Food Journalists 2012nd Taste

Dublin is the City of Science for 2012 and this week it hosts the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF). As part of this international event, Teagasc, in partnership with University College Dublin, Bord Bia and the Dublin Institute of Technology are hosting a Harvest of Irish Food event to showcase the unique combination of Irish food culture and tradition with the best of food science and technology in Ireland.

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Irish Village Markets Launch Handbook for Aspiring Market Traders

Irish Village Markets: Handbook for Aspiring Market Traders

As a result of the recession, Ireland has seen a huge increase in the number of people turning to markets and market trading as a low overhead means of generating an income. Many new traders find that the information regarding legal and insurance obligations, health regulations and codes of practice can be difficult to source.

Read more: Irish Village Markets Launch Handbook for Aspiring Market Traders

GIY Still Growing in Ireland - Mike Neary of Bord Bia

Recent research carried out by Ipos MRBI on behalf of Bord Bia shows that the interest in recent years by households in GIY (“Grow it Yourself”) is still being maintained. Over the last two years, the spend by the adult population on fruit & vegetables for planting has increased by 15% to a market now valued at €16million.

Read more: GIY Still Growing in Ireland - Mike Neary of Bord Bia

This Weeks Premium Jobs in Horticulture Ireland

Grounds Person New!

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HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest July 6th

If you missed the deadline to participate in our HortiTrends GLAS Ireland 2012 Trade Show Feature Special then you will be glad to hear that we have extended the deadline to Tuesday the 10th of July. Its a chance to get your business featured pre & post show and also year round with a business directory listing on Ireland's most visited B2B horticulture trade portal.

Read more: HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest July 6th

M Agr Sc in Innovation Support - 2012-2014

The experience gained on this programme will equip them well for future roles in advisory services, technical consultancy and education delivery. The experience and learning will be of value to Teagasc and the agriculture industry in advancing the specific knowledge required for modern and effective innovation support systems.

Read more: M Agr Sc in Innovation Support - 2012-2014

Teagasc Weather Clinics

June rainfall was 135% up to 300% of normal. Due to the ongoing bad weather huge numbers of farmers are seeking advice on how to deal with poor ground conditions and poor grass utilisation. In many situations silage has not been cut and the crop has deteriorated significantly.

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Spanish Strawberry Harvesting Robot Heading to US

After years of experiments and tests the strawberry harvesting robot developed by Agrobot and Adesva will be operational.

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UK Strawberry Season Going Strong, Despite the Weather

It is strawberry season in the UK, but the British weather is doing its best to put a damper on things, but it is not as bad as would be expected.

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Summer Open Day at The Organic College

Pictures from the recent open day. We would like to thank everyone who was involved in the success of this event. We would also like to thank all our visitors who arrived in such great numbers.

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Horticulture Exempt from Credit Guarantee Bill 2012

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I welcome this opportunity to present the Credit Guarantee Bill 2012 to the Seanad. The Bill is one of the key targeted actions in the Government Action Plan for Jobs 2012 to address access to credit and support lending to SMEs, and will, I believe, prove to be a practical way of facilitating additional lending to SMEs. This is not a grant nor a support for ailing businesses. It is a scheme intended to address specific market failures that prevent bank lending to some commercially viable businesses, by providing a 75% guarantee to banks against losses on qualifying loans to job creating firms. The target beneficiaries are commercially viable SMEs, that is those which display a repayment capacity for additional credit facilities, but that cannot secure credit facilities under current conditions due to two market failures, namely insufficient collateral or lack of appreciation by the credit institutions of the growth-expansionary business model.

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This Weeks Premium Jobs in Horticulture Ireland

Freshfel Launches KidsEnjoyFresh.eu

Freshfel launches KidsEnjoyFresh.eu: A unique website for kids, parents and teachers on fresh fruit and vegetables. Freshfel Europe has launched on the occasion of its AGM a new public website designed for kids, parents and teachers.

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HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest July 12th

Its all systems go for the upcoming GLAS Ireland horticulture trade-show. The long-range weather forecasts are predicting rain for the day of the show which should be good for the impulse show visitor numbers. We have spoken to various businesses who will not be taking the day off to visit as its all about keeping the foot on the gas and makeing sales. They see a trade show visit as a luxury. We can't argue with any individuals decision not to attend but would suggest that its a false economy. We are not inundated with trade-shows here in Ireland so the chance to find out what's going on in your sector and chat to colleagues and suppliers will pay dividends throughout the rest of the year. You also have the chance to connect with and support Irish Horticulture businesses.

Read more: HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest July 12th

Dail Questions - Horticulture Excluded form Microenterprise Loan Fund Scheme

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

Question 97: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the immediate action he will take to assist small to medium enterprises and the farming community who are finding it increasingly difficult to secure loans to expand or start up their businesses; his views on the negative impact this is having on maintaining and creating jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

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8th Annual Environment Ireland Conference

Environment Ireland, now in its eighth year, is Ireland’s major annual conference on environmental policy and management. The conference is organised in association with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

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Danish Organic Farmers See How it’s Done in Ireland

Minister of State, Shane McEntee warmly welcomed a large group of Danish organic farmers in Kilcock today. Meeting on the farm of Alan Mooney, organic beef and cereal farmer, Mr McEntee said Ireland has a lot to learn from other countries with regard to organic production. “We pride ourselves on quality food in Ireland and I know that we need to expand the organic sector and as Minister I want to enable this to happen during my tenure”.

Read more: Danish Organic Farmers See How it’s Done in Ireland