Tonight’s episode of Ear to the Ground features a segment on rising insurance premiums, organic egg-farming and importing soya.
Risky business
Rising insurance premiums are putting people out of business across Ireland.
Rosaleen Fairbrother runs a childcare facility, a pet farm and a 7km cross country obstacle course, all on her farm in Co. Laois. She’s been burdened by the ever-rising premiums - and that’s only where she can get cover at all.
Ella Mc Sweeney visits Rosaleen’s farm and meets with insurers, legal experts and the Minister in charge of new legislation on insurance reform.
Cracking it
Growing up in Bray, David Butler always dreamed of a farming life.
When he inherited the family farm in Carlow, he jumped at the opportunity to raise hens for organic eggs. Starting off with just a garden shed and a wire fence in 2007, he gradually expanded and now keeps 3,000 hens in purpose-built poultry houses.
Demand for organic eggs is so brisk, that this year, he plans to double the size of his farm with the help of his wife and business partner, Paula.
Helen Carroll visits this enterprising couple and discovers the difference between organic and free-range eggs.
Protein Power
Irish farmers feed over half-a-million tonnes of imported soya to their animals every year.
Much of this comes from tropical regions like Brazil where genetically modified crops predominate.
Darragh McCullough reports from Co. Kildare where a crop of Irish-grown soybeans is awaiting harvest, and asks could Irish farmers use home-grown protein crops to replace the imported soya?
Beef and tillage farmer, Robert Chambers, believes an all-Irish ration could add value for both cattle farmers and grain growers.
***Ear to the Ground - Thursday @RTEOne 8.30pm***@ellamcsweeney looks at the high cost of business thanks to rising insurance premiums.@MsHelenCarroll is on an egg farm in Carlow where demand is outstripping supply.@darraghmccullou asks if we can grow it ourselves?#ettg pic.twitter.com/K6PTWyiCrS
— indiepics (@indiepicsIE) November 19, 2019
Tune into RTÉ One at 8:30 pm tonight (Thursday, November 21st).
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