CountryWide

The Conroy family have been growing raspberries for 75 years pretty close to the foot of the Sugarloaf, and unlike most soft fruit producers in Ireland, they have been making it work outdoors all that time and not under glass or polytunnel, and the sunny weather has been a welcomed addition.

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Denis Drennan, president of the ICMSA discusses the impact that the ever changing climate is having on Ireland's agricultural sector.

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We looked at challenges farmers are facing , dairy farmers in particular as they try to look after animals that were not designed for these temperatures and adapt to climate shifts. Vet Ryan Duffy works with Animal Health Ireland. He is a specialist in Heat Stress in Dairy Cows.

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Countrywide Full Episode 04/07/2026

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A Dáil Committee heard this week that the things farmers whose land is free draining are being advised to do will catch phosphate but won’t stop nitrate from polluting rivers. Pat Dillon from the agricultural research agency Teagasc is an expert in nitrate leaching spoke to Philip on this morning's show.

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The long-awaited Land Use Review said in clear words that the way we are using land does not safeguard water. does not safeguard water. And a few weeks ago 43% of farms inspected for water quality compliance failed the test. Dairy farmers Gail and Bryan Daniels discuss their ways to try find a solution to the problem.

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The amount of water we are taking out of our underground aquifers and rivers is increasingly an issue, but what happens when a well suddenly runs dry for 6 months, and then reappears? Betty O’Shea has devoted a considerable chunk of her life to tending to Father Moore’s Well, and she tells us more.

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Professor Fiona Regan, Director of of DCU's Water Institute reacts to and discusses the protocols being outlined by Minister Dooley.

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The Blackwater River Fish Kill last August was the largest fish kill ever in Ireland, and the person or people were never found. This week, Timmy Dooley, Minister with responsibility for fisheries published a new set of protocols to address which investigative agency should do what from now on when there is a fish kill.

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David Keohan, is a man on an archaeological quest to discover Ireland’s ancient lifting stones and revive a sport and culture – Stone Lifting – that has almost been erased from the landscape entirely.

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