Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

IBEC warns of threats to Irish economic growth

BREXIT POSSIBILITY CREATING COMPETITIVENESS RISK FOR IRISH EXPORTERS, SAYS LOBBY GROUP

    

BREXIT YES VOTE COULD SPARK DEVALUATION OF STERLING WHICH WOULD MEAN PRODUCTS FROM IRISH COMPANIES SELLING INTO THE UK WOULD EFFECTIVELY BE 30% MORE

Ibec the employers lobby group, expects economic growth of 4.6% this year and 3.9% for 2017. But it warned that uncertainty from the growing “economic headwinds” facing Ireland means the actual performance could deviate “substantially” from these numbers.

Its latest quarterly economic outlook warned that the possibility of a British exit from the European Union was creating a major competitiveness risk for Irish exporters into the UK. It also warned on the dangers of a global economic slowdown, spiralling wage growth at home and constraints due to Ireland’s acute housing shortage.

Ibec said a Brexit vote could spark a devaluation of sterling. That would mean products from Irish companies selling into the UK would effectively be 30 per cent more expensive following the June referendum than they were in January.

Different path

  Danny McCoy, the chief executive of Ibec, said that even if the UK votes to remain within the EU, it has set itself “on a different path” to the rest of Europe that could harm Irish economic prospects.

“Even if the UK stays, an ever-closer union is not for them. That’s massive [for Ireland]. Over time, it could lead to a significant drift away from the European core,” he said.

Ibec warned the UK would not be bound by state aid rules were it to leave the EU, potentially creating competition for Ireland for mobile foreign investment.

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On the upside, it said a Brexit could create opportunities for the Irish financial sector to capitalise by attracting UK-domiciled institutions that want an EU “home”.

Sean Kelly, leader of the Fine Gael delegation in the European Parliament, also warned yesterday of the dangers of a Brexit for Ireland, which he said would “severely damage” trade.

Ibec’s report predicts “continued increases in rental prices in and around the main cities” in Ireland due to the accommodation shortage.

“The current housing crisis is a supply side problem and is not likely to go away until enough houses are built to meet demand,” it said. However, it warned that building costs were still too high.

“There is a lazy assumption out there that just because house prices are rising, there will be huge investment in building,” said Mr McCoy. “But it isn’t like that. Investors in the sector have other places to put their money, such as into commercial property.”

Ibec is forecasting 2.1% employment growth, or an extra 40,000 jobs in the economy, with short-term unemployment almost down to pre-crisis levels. Wages will grow by about 2% this year.

The improvement in the labour market, meanwhile, should lead to a 4.1% increase in consumer spending in 2016, it said, although retail competition will keep price growth to a minimum.

Luas dispute

However, Ibec warned that the Luas dispute was an example of how wage demands are spiralling in some sectors and that the economy needs to focus on maintaining competitiveness.

“If wage growth stays within productivity growth, then you’ve no problem,” said Mr McCoy, “but there is no way of co-ordinating wages at a national level.”

He said that he was not calling for a return to a centralised system of collective bargaining over wages, as per the pre-crash social partnership deals, “but there does need to be some centralised forum for social dialogue on the elements that affect pay. We need an anchor for wage expectations.”

Ibec highlighted that there was a “ clear upward momentum in wage trends”, especially in certain sectors such as technology and in administration and support services.

It said that the still relatively high unemployment level of 8.8% was not acting as an effective brake on wage growth, as it normally would, because of the concentration of long-term unemployment in jobless figures.

Ireland’s brewers building a brighter future for their trade

  

RAY RYAN REPORTS THAT BREWERS IN IRELAND ARE BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES BY INCREASING THEIR INVESTMENT IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT.

Beer production remains an important sector within the Irish drinks industry in terms of indigenous manufacturing and the provision of jobs.

It accounts for about 50% of the market, directly employs around 2,500 people, and exports more than 40% of its production.

Exports last year increased by over 10% to around €265m as stronger trade to Britain, other European Union markets and the United States is helping to boost trade.

The craft beer sector in Ireland continues to be a success story, making up an estimated 1.2% of the market, with 40% of microbreweries exporting.

That represents a small portion of the overall Irish beverage exports to 130 markets worldwide last year. However, it highlights a huge potential for growth.

The craft beer industry alone is worth an estimated $12.5bn in annual sales in the United States. New York and Boston, cities with large numbers of people with Irish ancestry and many Irish pubs, are obvious marketing targets.

A number of Irish brewers are already exporting to the US. Some are focusing on on-trade channels while others are connecting with craft breweries and creating partnerships that are potentially beneficial to both sides.

With beer consumption in Ireland now approaching the average level of most northern European countries, the Irish Brewers Association is working to ensure that people are aware of their industry’s contribution to social and economic life.

Over 60 microbreweries now operate in Ireland with 22 of them having started in the past two years. The number is expected to exceed 100 by 2020.

The value added by the overall beer sector to the economy was €1.72bn in 2014. It spends €400m purchasing goods and services including transport and agricultural products.

It raised some €425m in excise receipts. The beer- related contribution to employment represents 44,741 jobs.

A new report by Europe Economics, ‘The Contribution made by Beer to the European Economy’ commissioned by the Brewers of Europe, found that brewing companies in Ireland are responding to the opportunities and challenges they are facing by increasing investment, particularly in product development.

The report says production fell slightly between 2013 and 2014, which it says reflects conditions in international markets.

It also says that the industry exported 2.8 million hectolitres of beer in 2014, and that 64% of beer in Ireland is consumed “in the on-trade”, meaning in restaurants and pubs.

The report also found the total beer-related contribution to government revenues increased from 2013 to 2014, with increases in excise duties and on-trade and off-trade Vat, in particular.

Jonathan McDade, the head of the Irish Brewers Association, said the Irish beer industry is experiencing an exciting period of development.

“As the report states, investment in product development is also up. These trends reflect an increasingly diverse beer sector, with more high-quality Irish beer products for consumers at home and abroad,” he said.

“This is having a knock on effect on employment, up by around 370 between 2013 and 2014 to almost 44,800 jobs,” he said.

Seamus O’Hara, managing director, Carlow Brewing Company (O’Hara’s Craft Beers), is the new chairman of the Irish Brewers Association, the representative industry group for brewers and beer distributors.

He grew up in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow. After completing a master’s degree in biotechnology at UCD, he moved to Britain, where he worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors with firms such as AstraZenca and Glaxo Smith Kline.

It was during this time that he was first exposed to the diversity and flavours of craft beers. In 1991, he moved back to Ireland, where he took up a position with Enterprise Ireland and 10 years later he left to co-found a new venture-capital firm, Seroba-Kernel.

In 1996, he and his brother Eamon set up Carlow Brewing Company on a small-scale part-time basis. In 2011, Seamus made the decision to move full-time into brewing.

The company’s website says there has never been a more exciting time to be part of the craft beer scene in Ireland.

“Craft beer consumers are becoming more numerous, confident and adventurous than ever before leading to demand for a wide variety of flavours and styles.

“Pubs and off-licenses are playing their part too and many now stock a broad range of Irish craft beer to meet customer demand,” it says.

Half of everything that the Carlow brewery produces is exported to more than 25 countries, including the US, France, Italy, Russia, Norway and Croatia.

Mr O’Hara, one of the craft brewing industry’s most recognisable pioneers, told the recent Teagasc National Malting Barely Growers Association conference that the sector is a growing business.

The craft beer products are still relatively small at 1.5% to 2% of the overall beer market in Ireland but with the right momentum there is a potential to grow this to 10%. “It is a great honour to be entrusted with the role of chairperson of the Irish Brewers Association, particularly as the Carlow Brewing Company celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year.

“The Irish Brewers Association, has represented the interest of brewers in Ireland since 1908. Since then the industry has changed drastically and in 2016 we continue to experience exciting developments, with new breweries opening across the country and established players expanding and investing,” he said.

Mr O’Hara said the number of microbreweries operating here has more than trebled since 2012. Consumers have never had more choice. His appointment association chairman was another acknowledgement of the importance of the craft sector to the wider brewing industry.

“I hope that I can use my experience in developing a small but successful brewery within a fledgling industry to guide the Irish Brewers Association over the next two years,” he said.

British pet insurers paid out record claims for last year 2015

  

PET INSURERS DEALT WITH 686,000 CLAIMS FOR DOGS.

Pet insurers paid out a record £657 million in claims in 2015 – equating to £1.8 million every day – according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The figures show that in 2015, t he number and cost of claims reached record levels, with 911,000 pet insurance claims made, up 9% on 2014. Their cost, at £657 million, was also up 9% on the previous year.

The average claim was for £721 last year, while the average pet insurance premium was £241.

Pet insurers dealt with 686,000 claims for dogs costing £501 million. For cats, 193,000 claims were handled, worth £105 million.

Despite the record payouts last year, most pet owners remain uninsured, the ABI said. Only one in four of the nine million dog owners and one in seven of the 7.9 million cat owners are thought to have pet insurance.

The ABI said some of the more unusual pet insurance claims handled include the r emoval of a sock eaten by a dog, and treatment for a cat which fell from a fourth floor window.

Mark Shepherd, general insurance manager at the ABI, said: “The record levels of claims handled by pet insurers highlights that owning a pet can be costly as well as rewarding.”

Protein rich weight loss diet can lead to a better night’s sleep

   

Previous studies have already linked the effect of sleep on weight loss and diet but a new study looked on the opposite perspective and focused on the effect of protein weight loss diet on sleep.

A group of researchers from the Purdue University in Indiana found out that obese and overweight people who follow a high protein-diet for several months have better sleep at night. The study initially involved 14 participants – 11 women and 3 men – who were asked to follow a high-protein diet based on pork and beef or soy and legume products in the first pilot study. On the other hand, the main study focused on 44 obese and overweight participants with ages 35 to 65 years old who were assigned into two groups; the first group was asked to follow a normal protein diet while the other group was given a high protein weight loss diet.  The study was led by Wayne Campbell, a professor of nutrition science at Purdue University, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The protein diets given to the participants were designed by a dietitian who ensured that the participants’ daily recommended energy intakes were met. Furthermore, a total of 750 calories worth of carbohydrates and fats were removed from the diets per day while maintaining the amount of protein assigned to each group. The protein sources for the diets were beef, pork, soy, legumes and milk protein.

The participants of the main study were able to adapt to the diet after three weeks and continued on their protein diets for 16 weeks. During this period, the participants were able to consume 0.8 or 1.5 kilograms of protein for each kg of body weight daily. They were also given a survey every month to assess the quality of their sleep during the course of the study.

In the pilot study, results showed that the 14 participants reported to have better sleep after four weeks of consuming a high protein weight loss diet. The same trend was observed in the sleep quality of participants who followed the high protein diet in the main study after three to four months.

ANTARCTIC BIRDS CAN RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE, AND ATTACK INTRUDERS

    

ANTARCTIC BROWN SKUAS ARE CAPABLE OF RECOGNIZING INDIVIDUAL HUMANS, A NEW PAPER HAS SHOWN.

Birds living among people are able to differentiate between individual humans but scientists have now found that skuas (above right) living in remote Antarctica can also recognise people who had previously accessed their nests. The researchers from Inha University and Korea Polar Research Institute in South Korea performed a series of experiments on brown skuas living in Antarctica.

Antarctic brown skuas are large brownish birds that eat fish and other small animals, and they have been known to steal prey from other predators. They’ve even been observed pilfering sips of breast milk from nursing elephant seals. Living life as a food thief, or a kleptoparasite as biologists call it, requires a relatively high level of intelligence.

But brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) may be even smarter than we thought. A study published in March in the journal Animal Cognition found that these large birds can recognize individual people.

Korean scientists at a research station on King George Island, off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, embarked on a study of seven brown skua nests, to see if the birds were breeding and how many young they were having. However, they noticed that the birds would begin to act much more aggressively and even attack—swooping in on researchers and hitting them on the head with their feet—after the researcher had visited the nest a couple times.

Antarctic brown skuas are capable of recognizing individual humans, a new paper has shown.

But it didn’t stop there. “When I was with other researchers, the birds flew over me and tried to hit me,” said Yeong-Deok Han, a doctoral student at Inha University, in a statement. “Even when I changed my field clothes, they followed me. The birds seemed to know me no matter what I wear.”

This strongly suggested that the brown skuas were recognizing Han. Other birds such as crows, ravens and magpies have already been shown to recognize individual humans. However, this ability remains rare among birds, so far as we know.  To further explore this possibility, the scientists set up an experiment in which a pair of researchers—one who had approached the nest before (labeled as the “intruder), and one who hadn’t—walked toward the nest and waited for a few seconds as the birds flew toward them. They then walked in different directions (away from the nest). In each case, for all seven breeding pairs of birds tested, the skuas followed the intruder and ignored the newcomer.

“It is amazing that brown skuas, which evolved and lived in human-free habitats, recognized individual humans just after three or four visits,” said Won Young Lee, a senior researcher from Korea Polar Research Institute. “It seems that they have very high levels of cognitive abilities.”

Since the change of clothes didn’t deter the birds, it suggests they are able to recognize humans by looking at their face, or perhaps recognizing differences in body posture and gait, according to the study.

Most birds that can recognize human individuals, like crows, have lived in the same area as humans for longer, so it’s possible that evolution could have helped select for this human-identifying ability. With brown skuas, however, they have only been exposed to humans since the 1950s, so evolutionary pressures almost certainly haven’t played a role in developing this ability, the researchers wrote.     

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

President Micheal D & his wife Sabina meets UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

  

Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon and his wife,Yoo Soon-taek pictured this afternoon at Aras an Uachtarain with President Michael D Higgins and his wife, Sabina where they had lunch together on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Ireland’s membership of the United Nations…

President Micheal D Higgins is this afternoon meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at a private lunch at Aras an Uachtarain.

The UN secretary is visiting Ireland with his wife Yoo Soon-taek and are celebrating the 60th anniversary of Ireland’s membership of the United Nations.

President Higgins welcomed the couple to the Phoenix Park where they signed the visitors’ book.

They are now going for lunch which was also attended by officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the President’s office and UN officials including the UN advisor on human rights and the UN advisor on disarmament.

At the lunch the President and Secretary General focused on global events with an emphasis on sustainable development.

On the menu is Clonakilty pudding with crisped bacon on a bed of salad leaves with toasted walnuts and onion marmalade.

This is followed by grilled supreme of salmon glazed with garden honey, fish sauce, asparagus bunch and Parisienne potato in potato baskets.

For dessert, they will enjoy apple pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Yesterday Ban Ki Moon was awarded the Tipperary International Peace prize.

Speaking as he accepted that award, he hailed the passing of the same sex referendum as a victory for human rights.

“This is a truly historic moment: Ireland has become the first country in the world to approve marriage equality in a nationwide referendum,” he said.

“The result sends an important message to the world: All people are entitled to enjoy their human rights no matter who they are or whom they love.”

Expiry dates on gift vouchers & unfair contracts to be scrapped under a new law

   aw in Ireland

 The Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton left pic: said the Republic’s consumer law as it stood had ‘t rules in some areas and too few or none at all in other areas’.

Expiry dates on gift vouchers will be scrapped, consumers who download or stream content will get enhanced protection and unfair contracts are to be outlawed as part of the most sweeping reform of Irish consumer law in decades, to be announced today.

A framework for a new Consumer Rights Bill will be published by Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton this afternoon to address “a basic imbalance” between consumers and retailers and service providers.

Other proposals will seek to introduce information rights for consumers in transactions for healthcare, social services and gambling, including price information for GP and other medical consultations.

Rights for anyone buying services will be strengthened, and for the first time people will have the right to have a substandard service remedied or refunded

A standard 30-day period in which consumers can return faulty goods and get a full refund will be introduced to replace rules on this time period which are unclear, and those who get goods as gifts will have the same rights as those who bought the goods.

The rules on unfair contract terms will apply to negotiated as well as standard form contract terms, and an expanded list of contract terms presumed to be unfair will be rolled out.

Speaking ahead of the publication of details of the proposed Bill, Mr Bruton said the changes were aimed at doing two things.

Firstly purchasing online, to improve consumer rights in purchasing online goods and services, which obviously accounts for an increasing proportion of consumer transactions.

“And, secondly, to clear up the anomalies and gaps in consumer rights that have grown up through years of overlapping legislation at primary, secondary and European level.”

He said the law as it stood had “too many rules in some areas and too few or none at all in other areas”.

The Minister highlighted an example of a consumer whose car breaks down because of a fault with the car. They currently have two separate sets of remedies “that are neither consistent nor certain”. A person whose car breaks down because it was serviced poorly, however, “has no clear, readily accessible remedy”.

Mr Bruton also said that while a consumer who bought a film on DVD was protected by consumer legislation, one who streams or downloads the same film was not.

The consultation, which opens today, will close on August 28th, with a target for enactment of the new legislation set for the middle of next year.

Our fat Irish crisis could become of an elephant of gigantic proportions by 2030

WE ARE A NATION OF FATTIES. AND THAT’S NOW OFFICIAL!

    

According to the World Health Organisation, Ireland has all the signs of becoming a European leader in obesity. And, the experts say that by 2030 the fat crisis will be of elephantine proportions.

Predictions indicate that 89% of men and 85% of women in Ireland will be either overweight or obese. Already the Irish top the list in flabbiness, and according to an expert at St Vincent’s Hospital if we don’t cop ourselves on we’re in for a fate worse than anything Aids or Cholera can throw at us.

Indeed, we need to see fatness as something one can catch and therefore to be avoided. Or, as a chubby man once told us ‘Obesity now is widespread and a fat accompli’ (geddit?).  Okay, okay, we know we shouldn’t laugh at the predicament of others, and we’re certainly aware that the many reports on podginess that thump on our desk are a grim reminder of what’s in store.

But not for Yours Truly! Oh no! This scribe is the proud possessor of broad shoulders, a slender waistline, biceps so defined you can see them through the gansey and, of course, we have the sixpack. With such a lean, fit corpus that matches the Classical Greek ideal, it’s exceedingly difficult not to crack a joke at the fat guy’s expanse. (Careful! Ed).

Chewing the fat

Sorry about that!  To paraphrase another report (that of Trinity College), four out of five of the over-50s in Ireland are ‘morbidly obese’. Within that context, blubber can hardly be a topic for wisecracks.

Even the University of Washington – and the Yanks are no shrinking violets when it comes to the avoirdupois – drew attention to the bodily-property problem in this country.  They say that 26.5pc of Irish girls and 16pc of Irish boys under the age of 20 can be classed as overweight or obese.

Professor Donal O’Shea, co-chair of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Policy Group on Obesity, warned that the HSE was struggling with the problem and with the damage it was doing to children’s lives.

‘Reduce the sugar intake in children and you will lower the impact on the child’s weight,’ he said.  Sugar is addictive in the same way alcohol is addictive.  The same parts of the brain that light up with alcohol light up with sugary drinks.’  (Wow! And this scribe thought that the only way one could improve a glass of Tanora was to put a dollop of Powers in it!).

Professor O’Shea pulled no punches when he condemned the environment of high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods that surrounds our kids, especially in the lower socio-economic groups.

Forthright too was senior physiotherapist, Grace O’Malley, who warned that the health implications of obesity among children included hip, knee and back pain, breathlessness, risk of asthma, high cholesterol and high blood pressure; and that the crisis was now affecting children as young as three or four.

Taming of the chew

Nonetheless mini-Minister at the Department of Health, Kathleeeen Lynch, is not convinced.  She doesn’t ‘buy into’ the World Health Organisation prediction that Ireland is on course to be the most beefy country in Europe by 2030.

This is what she told a meeting of concerned GPs last week: ‘We have a whole range of actions now in relation to a Healthy Ireland programme that we are putting in place’ and that the World Health Organisation figures were just ‘an outline warning’ and a ‘good indicator to ensure we don’t get to that point’.

Solace indeed from the Minister responsible for the scandal-hit nursing home, Aras Atracta, in Swinford Co Mayo! In fact she sounded like harassed parents telling their children it was healthier to go out and play in the traffic than fiddle with the iPad.

Her comments were evocative of those emanating from Children’s Minister Dr James Reilly. He sees merit in the idea that weight loss programmes should become compulsory for very obese recipients of sickness benefits – and even extended (theoretically) to dole recipients who were not doing enough to lose weight.

The Doc, no slouch himself at ‘piling on the plumpness’, told a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that the obesity of an applicant who wished to be a foster parent ‘cannot be ignored’.  The overall physical ability of a person to care for a child had to be considered, and that issues like being overweight ‘could impact on a person’s application,’ he declared.

Which reminded us of the wag in the Cork Arms who described his wife’s diet in this manner: ‘She’s on coconuts and bananas. She hasn’t lost any weight yet but, I tell ya boy, she can certainly climb a tree’.

Our assessment, for what it’s worth, is that although experts are blue in the face warning us of the obesity crisis, the government isn’t too concerned.

FAT IN THE FIRE

Good news is on the horizon. People just aren’t eating hamburgers like they used to.  McDonalds has closed more than 350 stores worldwide since the beginning of 2015. They attribute the losses to an unprecedented level of global competition that’s munching into their hamburger profits. As well, the multinational has been involved in gigantic food safety and labour problems over the past year. These have seriously dented its culinary popularity.

In Japan, for instance, consumer confidence almost collapsed after plastic was found in chicken burgers. American first-quarter sales also fell in 2015, prompting McDonalds to declare it would stop sourcing chickens that had been treated with human antibiotics.

On top of that, medical warnings of the risk of eating too many burgers and chips –and not just in McDonalds – eventually got through to US mammies who discovered that fast food could make their children stupid as well as fat.

In response, the moms seriously took on board the assertion that learning and memory difficulties during adolescence can be attributed to the consumption of take-away gunge and soft drinks, while kids who ate plenty of fruit and veggies had a higher cognitive performance.

Fat chance

Perhaps a similar anti-fat message will have success here in spite of Kathleeeen’s and the government’s inaction. If so, let’s celebrate the happy development with a marvellous poem that conveys the beauty and unique characteristics of the take-away. But, first, a schoolboy joke about the lady who was so fat that small objects orbited her.  (Don’t even dare! Ed)

Olive oil shortage is now a pressing supply issue,

SAY THE EXPERTS

  

Bosses of olive oil supplier Filippo Berio warns shortfall in supplies reaching the market is so bad ‘rationing’ could be introduced

Lovers of olive oil could face the prospect of supplies of their favourite cooking oil being rationed, experts have warned.

For poor harvests in Spain and Italy have fuelled warnings from olive oil industry experts of a massive shortfall in supplies reaching the market, the latest research shows.

Trade magazine The Grocer reported that cooking oil prices are on a slippery slope. Data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that although volumes have risen a healthy 2.5% over the past year, value is down 2.8% due in part to the ongoing price war raging in grocery.

But The Grocer says that while many categories are feeling its effect, the price war has come at a particularly difficult time for olive oil players.

Retail prices have been squeezed due to hard promotional tactics and now costs are escalating as a result of poor harvests, leaving some in the industry to speculate about the likelihood of supply rationing in the future.

‘The cost of olive oil is increasing and we will stocking up now save me money?’
Is there really a prosecco shortage?

Walter Zanre, UK managing director of Filippo Berio, told The Grocer: “If there were to be another bad harvest next year I think we would have the prospect of rationing people in terms of supply.

“In 15 years in this business this is the worst year I have seen. There is not enough oil to meet demand. Sourcing good quality extra virgin in the second half of the year will be very difficult.”

Volume is up year on year with High Street shoppers putting more oil into their basket each trip.

But the report shows that the oils category value decline is driven solely by Britain’s shoppers paying a lower price per litre as the big four supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – cut prices in response to competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Mr Zanre said: “The discounters are really having a big impact on olive oil. They are taking a larger share and the big four are reacting, so the natural result is deflation all round.”

While the big four lost ground in the category, there was growth of 16.1% for Lidl and 7.3% for Aldi, who between them accounted for 9.6% of category value sales.

Olive oil on salad may save your life
What To Eat Now: Olive oil from ‘stressed’ trees

According to the International Olive Oil Council, there will be a shortfall of 783,000 tons this year when measured against the average global production of the past five years.

Poor harvests in Spain and Italy, where a wet summer led to olive fly and fungal attack, are the main reasons for the fall.

The Grocer says the implications for suppliers and their customers are potentially serious, despite the prospect of limited supplies; restoring value will be tough for olive oil and the other two main oils —-sunflower and vegetable.

While volumes of sunflower oil have increased by 6.6% over the past year, those for vegetable and extra-virgin olive oils have fallen – suggesting that some consumers are trading down to cheaper varieties.

The report says that value is being added by the strong growth of rapeseed and specialty oils such as coconut but these oils remain a small part of the category.

For oils to recover overall they will need to be a step change for olive, vegetable and sunflower.

Watch what you are swearing/saying to your beloved pet?

As animal abuse allegations including swearing at sheep are caught on camera

  

A FARMER, CRITICIZED FOR ALLOWING SHEEP-SHEARERS TO SWEAR AT HIS ANIMALS, JOKED THAT THE ANIMALS HAVE NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT THE OWNER’S BAD LANGUAGE.

Ken Turner, of New South Wales in Australia, was reported to animal welfare group RSPCA after workers reported that the behavior distressed the herd,

Reports in a local newspaper called the Newcastle Herald. That a complaint was lodged by PETA, to whom workers had sent undercover footage of abuse that they say was physical as well as verbal, “including stomping and punching of the sheep.”

“If foul language were the worst that sheep in Australian shearing sheds had to endure, and then no complaint would have been filed,” a spokeswoman told the newspaper.

But the case was dropped, leaving Turner to tour the press making light of the allegations: “they didn’t even look offended to me after they were shorn,” he told a radio host last week.

The Australian Associated Press (widely syndicated to outlets such as The Telegraph and The Daily Mail) left the physical abuse details to the very end of its report. London’s Metro tabloid completely removes them, describing the allegations exclusively as “bizarre” complaint about language. Other newspapers wrote that the report had “provoked a debate about whether verbal abuse of animals constitutes an act of violence” but they also managed to avoid detailing the fact that violence was also alleged. The footage was deemed inadmissible in court,

Rare albino sparrow spotted in Australia

   

A RARE PURE WHITE SPARROW HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN AUSTRALIA, LEAVING ORNITHOLOGISTS ALL AFLUTTER ON MONDAY.

The albino was photographed at Sanctuary Lakes near Melbourne, but it is not expected to survive long with its snowy white plumage making it stand out to birds of prey.

Bob Winters, a birdwatching expert and environmental educator, photographed the animal after being alerted to its presence by a friend. But it wasn’t an easy task.

“It’s a very nervous animal, understandably, so I had to try for quite a few days to get some photos,” he told AFP, adding that pure white sparrows had been seen globally only “once in a blue moon”.

Australian media said there had been a handful of confirmed sightings of the bird across the world, including one reported in Britain in 2010.

Winters judged that the bird was six or seven months old which in itself was an achievement, due to its lack of camouflage and disabilities that come with being a genetic mutation.

“This bird has got so many disadvantages. They usually get kicked out of the nest because they’re different and it has fragile feathers that make it quite difficult to fly,” he said.

“Probably no-one wants to breed with it, and it’s easy pickings for a bird of prey.”

Albinism is a recessive characteristic which only shows up when a bird inherits the albino gene from both parents.

It affects all the pigments, with albino birds showing no colour whatsoever. They also have pale pink or reddish eyes, legs, feet and a pale bill.