Earlier this year, Dutch supermarket group Jumbo confirmed that it intends to slowly remove Irish beef from its shelves as part of its new supply chain policy.

This is a policy that involves creating a fully Dutch beef supply chain.

But what does this mean however for Irish farmers and what if other countries follow suit? Agriland editor, Stella Meehan sat down with beef sector manager at Bord Bia Mark Zeig to discuss this prospect.

In this podcast, he discusses cattle supply, consumer preference, food inflation and what the Mercosur deal might mean in the short-term.

On this episode of AgriFocus, Agriland editor Stella Meehan is joined by Simon MacAllister, EY Ireland Partner and Co-Head of Geopolitical Strategy to chat about the EU-Australia Freed Trade Agreement and its effects, especially with everything that is currently going on in the Middle East at the moment.

They discuss the immediate impact of oil prices, the challenges faced as a result of a reduction in gas supply and the differing views on the latest trade deal between the EU and Australia

The conflict in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through global agriculture.

It has also shone the spotlight firmly on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane that normally carries roughly a quarter to a third of the world’s nitrogen fertilizer exports.

What will this mean for Irish farmers who rely heavily on imported fertiliser?

In this episode of AgriFocus Francess McDonnell is joined by Sam Taylor an executive director with RaboResearch, a division of Rabobank.

Currently based in the US, Sam has been involved in agriculture throughout his life, having grown up in a large farming family in the UK with mixed crop, livestock, and broiler farms.

He said what Irish farmers need to know now is that nitrogen, ammonia, and sulphur markets all rely heavily on Middle Eastern supply.

Once those flows are disrupted, the effects ripple right through the fertiliser supply chain—from producers to distributors, and back to them is significant.

Go beyond the headlines with our podcast series – AgriFocus – where we take a closer look at some of the key issues that directly impact on farmers, rural communities and the agri-sector.