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Farm Gate

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A weekly look at farming, food and countryside issues.

A weekly look at farming, food and countryside issues, including business news and the latest on new technology.

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Farm Gate: Farmer Protests, Seasonal Workers and Organic Farming

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15/07/2017

Farmer Protests, Seasonal Workers and Organic Farming

BBC Radio Ulster - Farm Gate, Farmer Protests, Seasonal Workers and Organic Farming

Grain farmers stage a sit-in, 17% drop in seasonal workers and does organic farming work?

Grain farmers in Dublin stage a seven day sit-in, 17% drop in seasonal workers to the U.K and does organic farming offer a viable future for farming?

Grain farmers in Dublin ended a seven day sit-in in Agriculture house. They were protesting a rumoured report that crisis tillage fund compensation would be capped at €5,000. The protest ended when the Department of Agriculture agreed to hold talks without any pre-conditions. We hear from Donegal farmer Peter Lynch while he was part of the protest. 

The U.K fruit and vegetable industry needs an estimated 80,000 seasonal workers every year, but according to the National Farmers' Union, since the vote to leave the E.U there has been a 17% drop in the number of seasonal migrant workers coming. What does this mean for food producers in Northern Ireland and could food companies start recruiting locally? John McCann and Hristo Nikolov from Willowbrook Foods speak on the subject. 

In a week where Prince Charles said that most farms have been reduced to 'little more than factories' could going organic be a viable alternative for farmers? Grace Maher from the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Assocation speaks to Farm Gate.

And as the sheep shearing season draws to a close many farmers have been reporting that the price they are getting for a fleece is equal to the price they are paying to shear a sheep. But with woollen garments and carpets so expensive, why is the price of wool itself so cheap? The Head of Shearing from the British Wool Association, Colin MacGregor, tells us what he thinks. 

Presenter: Hannah Quinn-Mulligan

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