Full coverage: Agriculture

The head of global agribusiness Alltech finds himself hosting the first virtual edition of his company’s popular annual industry conference. He discusses how food production can navigate “the next normal”, and why his $3 billion firm remains private even as it enters new areas of digital technology and medicine.

Butter prices are down, farmers are getting less for their milk and cheese stocks are going into cold stores. But unlike other sectors, Ireland’s dairy industry is working as one and its businesses entered the crisis with strong balance sheets.

As Ireland haggles about greenhouse gas targets, New Zealand implements new climate legislation accommodating its livestock industry – one of many common interests with Ireland. Brad Burgess, the first Kiwi ambassador to Dublin, discusses growing business links and hopes of a trade deal.

Self Help Africa has secured a new multi-million EU contract to inject capital into private enterprises in the Zambian food value chain. Although most African agribusiness remains far from bankable, the organisation sees its role as “priming the pump”.

As Supermac’s joins McDonald’s in shutting up shop for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ireland’s beef industry is losing two major customers. But the real worry comes from expensive cuts piling up in cold stores.

Stricter environmental auditing requirements are coming, and the next government should help business get ready to turn Ireland into a climate technology leader, says the Green Party’s leader – but he sees no need to reform planning laws to facilitate this.

From trade wards to the "starbuckification" of food retail, Aidan Connolly foresees disruption and opportunities in the year(s) ahead – with Irish farmers and food processors showing disparate levels of readiness in the face of upcoming challenges.

Contemptuous of cheddar, but jealous of Irish rain: a new study by Bord Bia’s French counterpart assesses the performance of Ireland among the world’s top dairy exporters and holds some lessons for the industry here.

Protesting farmers are right to say that Irish commodity prices should not be lower than elsewhere in the EU. They must now realise the transformation their industry is facing to achieve this.

Ireland is now under EU obligation to designate a regulator for the food trade. Who should police relations between farmers, processors and retailers? How much power should they have? Thomas Hubert meets Christine Tacon, the Groceries Code Adjudicator in the UK – arguably the most advanced country in this area.