'Ear to Ground' looks at IFA crisis

'Where to now for the IFA?' asks 'Ear to the Ground' tonight. The Irish Farmer’s Association is now facing the biggest crisis in its 60 year history. It is a major turning point for the organisation with both the president, Eddie Downey, and the general secretary, Pat Smith, having resigned. Ear to the Ground goes back to the officers and grassroots members to look at the founding principles and asks: where to now for the IFA? What steps must the organisation take to recover from this crisis? Ella McSweeney asks the hard questions on everyone's mind.

Carbon Free Cows!

With the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris this week mapping out a carbon free future for the planet, can Irish farmers cut their carbon emissions?

Over one third of Ireland’s greenhouse gases come from agriculture, so is it time to cut down the national cattle herd and plant more trees? Helen Carroll challenges the wisdom of increasing cow numbers in the face of heavy penalties for exceeding our carbon quota.

Darragh’s December Diary

December is drying off time on Darragh McCullough’s dairy farm at Gormanston, when cows and people take a break from the twice-a-day milking routine. Meanwhile, the grass has stopped growing so it’s time to open up the silage pit and see how good the first cut was. Dr. Padraig O’Kiely, Teagasc, Ireland’s foremost expert on silage, tests the pit, and vet Katharina Suhl talks about the pros and cons of antibiotic therapy.

Ear to the Ground is produced for RTÉ by Independent Pictures. Ear To The Ground, Tuesday 1st December,  RTÉ One, 8.30pm.