Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

EU ruling on Ireland’s Controversial Apple tax deal  backed by MEPs

COMPETITION CHIEF LAUDED FOR DECISION ON FIRM’S €13BN LIABILITY DUE TO ILLEGAL STATE AID

   

EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR COMPETITION MARGRETHE VESTAGER WAS CONGRATULATED BY MEPS FOR HER DECISION AGAINST IRELAND ON APPLE TAX RULING..

Ireland’s political isolation over the Apple ruling was laid bare on Wednesday as MEPs overwhelmingly backed the EU’s finding that the State had offered illegal state aid to the US multinational.

In a highly-charged, though sparsely attended, debate at the European Parliament, MEPs from across the political spectrum lined up to congratulate EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager on her decision against Ireland.

“Citizens who have been asked for great sacrifices cannot understand that big multinationals do not participate in this collective effort,” said Spanish MEPPablo Zalba Bidgegain.

“We as European citizens have to thank for the commissioner for her effort and for remaining so strong on the Apple case. These kinds of actions undoubtedly contribute to European citizens seeing [the European Union] as part of a solution not as a problem.”

Green MEP Sven Gielgold, a long-time tax justice campaigner, said Ms Vestager “deserved a medal” for her actions, while his colleague Philippe Lamberts said he wanted to “clone” the Danish commissioner for taking on multinationals.

German centre-right MEP Markus Ferber congratulated Ms Vestager in finding the “right lever” for tackling unfair taxation through state aid law, “even though it rewards those who ought to be punished”, referring to Ireland’s decision not to accept the €13 billion in recovered taxes.

Other MEPs referred to the funds that were extended to Ireland during the bailout, while a French MEP recalled how she had raised concerns about tax competition with former commissioner Charlie McCreevy.

While the European Parliament has little power over EU competition policy, it has taken a leading role in efforts to clamp down on multitax avoidance by establishing special tax committees in the wake of the Luxembourg Leaks and Panama Papers scandals.

Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly and Brian Hayes were among the only MEPs to question the European Commission ruling. Mr Kelly referred to it as “profoundly wrong and extremely damaging to Ireland”, while Mr Hayes accused the commission of displaying a determination “to get Apple from the start of this investigation”

Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy said that, while he supported the principle of tax sovereignty, the decision to appeal was “morally wrong and financially stupid”.

Irish food exporters must now deal with the Brexit fallout

ORNUA BOSS ISSUES WARNING AT OPENING OF NEW KERRYGOLD FACILITY IN MITCHELSTOWN, CO CORK

   

(Left pic.) Ken Maguire, general manager of Kerrygold Park, at the official opening of the facility in Mitchelstown Co Cork.

IRISH FOOD AND DAIRY EXPORTERS WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE FALLOUT FROM BREXIT, PARTICULARLY IF STERLING CONTINUES TO WEAKEN, ACCORDING TO THE HEAD OF ORNUA,KEVIN LANE.

Mr Lane was speaking as he attended the opening of the organisation’s new €38 million Kerrygold butter-making plant that will create 65 new jobs inMitchelstown, Co Cork.

Mr Lane said Brexit was not the result that Ornua had hoped for in the UK’s referendum in June on EU membership, but Irish food exporters will now have to deal with it.

“We are not pleased about [Brexit]. That is a hammer blow to us. We certainly didn’t want to see the vote that came in but we’ve got to deal with it.

“We supply a lot of cheese and butter in the UK and we have four manufacturing facilities in the UK, where we are employing 700 people.

“The last thing we wanted to see was sterling weaken so much after the Brexit vote, it’s a challenge for the Irish dairy industry to go into that market . . . we have got to deal with it to make sure that we can minimise the disruption to our business,” he said.

Mr Lane said the new facility in Mitchelstown will enable Ornua to achieve its target of producing 50,000 tonnes of butter per annum within four years, for export to some 31 countries, including the US, which is currently its largest market.

“We have currently €750 million of retail sales around the world and we hope to grow that to €1 billion by Year 4, when we hope to be producing 1,000 tonnes of butter a week for export,” said Mr Lane.

The new facility, named Kerrygold Park, will have the capability to produce new butter products and formats that are not currently available in Ireland, said Mr Lane.

“It greatly improves our innovation capability and our ability to deliver premium dairy products to consumers around the world.”

A vote of confidence?

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed said the new Kerrygold facility was a major vote of confidence in the future of the Irish dairy industry.

“Increasing global population, urbanisation and the westernisation of diet in developing countries offers Ireland’s dairy industry significant opportunity for expansion,” he said.

“By opening new markets and developing new products, Ornua is playing a key role in delivering the demand for Irish product to meet increased supply resulting from the abolition of milk quotas,” Mr Creed told the invited audience of around 300 people involved in the dairy sector.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor also welcomed the new butter-making facility, saying it marked a logical development for Kerrygold.

“This expansion is important to our continued growth in export trade. Ornua’s strategy to develop Kerrygold as a global dairy brand will contribute to increase trade and employment in rural communities throughout Ireland,” she said.

Sligo Garda Sgt. cleared by GSOC before he took his life not knowing of the decision.

AN INQUEST HAS HEARD.

   

The late Sgt Michael Galvin & Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Frank Clarke.

A Garda sergeant who took his own life not knowing he had been cleared by a Garda Ombudsman investigation had spoken to his best friend just before his death and had arranged to talk with him again the next day, an inquest has heard.

Father-of-three Sgt Mick Galvin, (48), took his own life at Ballyshannon Garda Station in the early hours of May 28 last year.

Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Frank Clarke later conducted an investigation into his death after the Irish Independent revealed within days of Sgt Galvin’s funeral that the officer had been cleared by GSOC prior to his death.

The GSOC criminal investigation was launched on January 1 last year when Sheena Stewart (33) died after being struck by a taxi in Ballyshannon, earlier that day.

Sgt Galvin and two other gardaí who had interaction with Ms Stewart before her death were interviewed by GSOC investigators.

Colleagues were furious that Sgt Galvin, a former senior footballer and hurler for Sligo and a father of three who lived in Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, was unaware he had been cleared.

Judge Clarke concluded that GSOC investigating officer Daniel Gallagher had decided that Sgt Galvin should not face prosecution on May 21.

Donegal coroner Dr Denis McsCauley said at the inquest yesterday at Donegal Town Courthouse that he had agreed with the Galvin family not to examine the Ombudsman case.

Sgt Gavlin’s friend Gda Paddy Battle told the inquest that he had taken a phone call from him at 11.50pm on May 27.

“I asked ‘what the feck are you still there for?”, said Gda Battle, who said the pair had spoken briefly about a work file and had agreed to talk the next day at 11am. Sgt Galvin had said he was planning to go home.

“In my opinion it was a normal phone call, there was nothing at all unusual about it.”

The garda said his friend was a “bright, jolly, family man” who had balanced his life between work, family and his volunteering with the GAA.

Just after midnight Sgt Galvin went into the armoury at the station. His body was found slumped in a chair in the detectives’ office at 7am. An envelope with his wife Collette’s name was found on a desk.

Supt Colm Nevin told widow Colette and family members Sgt Galvin had been an excellent station sergeant, adding: “We miss him dearly.”

World increasing awareness with people about their health is driving the growth of Weight Loss Services Market

     

Weight Loss Services Market: Overview

Overweight and obesity refer to excess body fat and it is related with increased weight-for-height. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than 1.4 billion adults 20 years or older are overweight and obese. Obesity not only leads to loss of confidence among obese people, but is also a great concern from health standpoint.

Overweight eventually leads a person to several diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes, strokes and even carry a risk of cancer. Obesity and weight gain has become one of the biggest concerns in the developed countries such as the U.S. owing to increasing adoption of sedentary lifestyle among the youth.

Weight Loss Services Market: Trends

The global weight loss services market is poised to grow in the coming years, thanks to increasing awareness among people about their health and well being. The huge consumer base is a key market driver for the growth of global weight loss services market and will continue to remain due to increasing global population, particularly in the Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.

Other prominent market drivers include consumer’s increased weight and rising disposable income among people in the developing countries. However, large number of tall and false claims misleads general public about the effectiveness of particular services. Such unfounded loss claims and misleading endorsements restrain the market growth for genuine products and services.

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=11897

Weight Loss Services Market: Segmentation

The global weight loss services market can be segmented into four major segments, namely, weight loss food and diet chains, weight management programs, health clubs, and other approaches for weight reduction such as liposuction and bariatric surgery. The market is highly competitive in the developed world with simultaneous presence of several multinational and local players.

The food and diet chain segment have been growing in incessantly even during the recession period and accounted for largest share in the global weight loss services market. NutriSystem, Inc. is one of the major players in this segment and is engaged in provided meal replacement and weight loss supplements.

Weight Loss Services Market: Region-wise Outlook

Geographically, the global weight loss services market can be segmented into four major geographical regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. Historically, North America and Europe have been the largest play areas for the players in this market. The market for weigh loss services is getting a boost in the U.S. due to coverage provision of screening and counseling for obesity under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).According to the Health & Social Care Information Centre, obesity levels in England have illustrated a sharp increase during the period 1993 to 2011.

The obesity and overweight population continues to grow in the OECD countries as well. A report – ‘Obesity and Economics of Prevention: Fit or Fat’ from OECD presents the scale of obesity epidemic and recommends that nations make policies to prevent the consequences of obesity on the health and economy of the nation. Therefore, the market for weight loss services is expected to grow continuously in the near future. However, as the economies in Asia Pacific are growing at a rapid pace, the changing lifestyle of people in this region is resulting in more people becoming obese. This presents lucrative opportunity for market players in this highly untapped regional market.

Weight Loss Services Market: Key Players

Some of the players in this market include Northcastle Partners, NutriSystem, Inc., Weight Watchers International, Inc., Jenny Craig, Inc., Medifast, Inc., BistroMD, Inc., and Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness Clubs.

Every part of the Arctic now is becoming worse for the precious polar bear

A POLAR BEAR DRIES OFF AFTER TAKING A 2014 SWIM IN THE CHUKCHI SEA IN ALASKA.

     

AS CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES TO HEAT UP THE ARCTIC, THERE’S RARELY GOOD NEWS THESE DAYS FOR THE POLAR BEARS WHO CALL IT HOME. AND NOW, A BROAD NEW STUDY CHARTING NEARLY FOUR DECADES OF CHANGES IN ARCTIC SEA ICE HAS AGAIN UNDERSCORED THE ANIMAL’S PLIGHT.

The study, just out in the journal The Cryosphere, finds that in every Arctic region where polar bears live, there’s been a decline in the total number of ice-covered days the bears have at their disposal. That’s a serious problem because polar bears use sea ice as their prime hunting grounds, waiting near the edge and snatching up seals as the marine mammals surface for air.

Previous research has already suggested that as less ice is available, polar bears are forced to spend more time on land, where they have to scavenge or hunt smaller prey to survive. As this behavior becomes more frequent, scientists worry the bears could become malnourished or even starve. Earlier this week, reports of polar bears stalking a Russian research outpost drove this point home again.

A group of hungry polar bears are circling Russian scientists at a remote weather outpost in the Arctic. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

While there’s great concern about the future of the species, there’s some debate about how the bears are faring now. Scientists estimate there are currently about 25,000 bears in all, divided into 19 subpopulations throughout the Arctic. For the new study, the researchers decided to investigate sea ice trends in each of these subpopulation regions.

The researchers relied on satellite data from 1979 through 2014. Every year, for each of the 19 regions, they calculated the date sea ice began to melt in the spring; the date it began to refreeze in the fall; the amount of sea ice present during the summer months (when the ice concentration is typically at its lowest); and the total number of ice-covered days per year.

They found that in 17 out of the 19 subpopulation regions, there are significant trends toward earlier sea ice retreat in the spring, generally by about three-to-nine days per decade. And in 16 of the regions, there were significant trends toward a later fall sea ice advance, again by about three-to-nine days per decade. These trends were slightly more pronounced in some regions, such as the Barents Sea off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, and the central Arctic Basin.

An earlier spring melt was associated with a later fall freeze pretty much every time — and the researchers have attributed this pattern to a special kind of climate feedback system.

“Sunlight bounces off ice, but it’s absorbed by water,” explained Harry Stern, a mathematician and sea ice researcher at the University of Washington and one of the study’s two authors. So when sea ice melts, it opens up large swaths of water where sunlight can be absorbed and heat can be trapped. The earlier the ice melts, the more heat goes into the ocean. In the fall, when temperatures start to drop again, all of this heat has to be released before the sea ice can refreeze. But if there’s more heat stored in the water than usual, the process takes longer and the freeze is delayed.

Overall, the researchers found that the length of time between spring sea ice retreat and fall sea ice advance has increased by between three and nine weeks since 1979. The biggest single increase of any polar bear subpopulation region was in the Barents Sea, where the interval lengthened by a whopping 17 weeks.

Additionally, the researchers found the concentrations of summer sea ice is declining by anywhere from one to nine percent per decade in most regions. And the total number of ice-covered days per year has also significantly declined in every subpopulation region, generally by between seven and 19 days per decade. Again, these trends were slightly larger in the Barents Sea.

The study’s results are already being used by conservationists, said Kristin Laidre, a principal scientist and polar bear expert at the University of Washington’s Polar Science Center and the study’s other author. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has incorporated the sea ice data into its Red List assessment of polar bears (which is part of a global assessment of the endangered or threatened status of wildlife all over the world) and into its public status information on the 19 subpopulations.

As for the future of the bears’ habitat, most projections suggest things are looking pretty grim. Models have predicted that we could be seeing ice-free Arctic summers by mid-century.

The science and policy of environmental issues.

In that light, the new study “highlights the clear changes we’re seeing around the globe, especially in the Arctic,” Laidre said, adding that she hopes the results might influence high-level decision-making about climate policy and greenhouse gas emissions moving forward.

Assuming the sea ice trends are irreversible, though — at least in the short term — she said the results could also be used to “compare and contrast subpopulations of polar bears across the Arctic and identify areas where we might expect to see more negative changes occurring.”

In this way, increased knowledge of sea ice trends in each of the subpopulation regions could help inform management decisions and future conservation effort. As for the bears themselves, continued monitoring will be necessary to find out how they respond to the ongoing ice losses.

For the time being, nine of the populations don’t have enough data for scientists to make an assessment of how they’re doing, while three are known to be declining, six are considered stable and just one is growing. How these patterns change in the future remains to be seen. But given the bears’ dependence on the sea ice, the researchers have concluded in their paper that “climate warming poses the single more important threat to their persistence.”   

Donie's Ireland news daily BLOG Sunday

Irish food industry finds itself contaminated badly as burger crisis deepens

   

Horsemeat scandal is now like a runaway train that could yet derail Ireland’s export markets,

The horse-meat-in-beef-burgers scandal is now a fully fledged economic crisis for this country. With further DNA test results due to be released in the next 48 hours, Ireland’s multi-billion agribusiness – a beacon of light during the recession – could be extinguished for months and the country’s reputation as an international food producer may be damaged beyond repair.

Since last Tuesday’s announcement, greeted with tabloid puns and strident government and food agency claims that human health was not at risk, the crisis has deepened with each passing day.

It is now a runaway train that could yet derail the lucrative export market for Irish processed meat products and cost the economy millions of euro. By Friday, the full fallout over the horsemeat controversy was becoming clear: the damage included immense reputational harm to not just Irish meat processors found to have produced burgers with equine DNA but the overall food industry here.

Reputational damage to major international companies will also cost Ireland dear in lost business – even though it now appears likely that the source of the contamination was a bought-in additive from either the Netherlands or Spain, though the Spanish have denied involvement.

Tesco – where one of its Irish produced “Value Range” burgers had 29 per cent horsemeat – lost €300m of its market value in one day. Burger King was revealed as using one of the Irish suppliers at the centre of the storm. It has insisted its meat was produced and stored separately at the plant with none of the additives or fillers thought responsible for the contamination. Nevertheless, the global fast-food giant is carrying out its own separate investigation.

Burger King said: “We would like to reiterate that all Burger King products produced by us are stored separately and manufactured on an independent line. There is no evidence of any contamination of raw material used for the manufacturing of any Burger King products.”

Asda, the Co-op and Sainsbury’s – three of the biggest supermarket chains in Britain with turnovers running into billions of euro each year – started clearing their shelves of frozen beef burgers as a precautionary measure even though they were not among the four retailers (Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldiand Tesco) found to be unwittingly selling burgers contaminated with traces of horsemeat.

The supermarkets delivered hammer blows to Ireland’s reputation as a food-exporting country. The Co-op said: “We can confirm that we take two lines of frozen own-brand beef burgers from Silvercrest Foods [Ballybay, Co Monaghan]. Neither of these products have been implicated. . . however, we are treating this matter very seriously and, purely as a precaution, we are removing them from sale.”

Sainsbury’s said: “All our burgers are made from 100 per cent British beef but as a precautionary measure we are withdrawing those sourced from Dalepak.”

The Food Standards Agency in Britain has launched its own investigation.

More worryingly still, the Government’s claims that there is no threat to human health is already being questioned by at least one respected source.

The Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland said burgers containing horsemeat could have been made from diseased or injured animals.

Society chairman John Sleith said: “We note that statements are being made that it is not a health issue, but our concern is there is no information on how the horsemeat came to be in the burgers and so there is no way of telling whether the meat is safe to eat. It could be from diseased or injured animals, for example.”

It’s hard to argue with his logic. If you didn’t know there was horsemeat in the burgers in the first place, how can you vouch for its provenance?

According to Bord Bia figures, the UK – with its population of 62 million and who, like the Irish, are not culturally inclined to eat horsemeat – is the main destination for Irish food and beverage exports, with a little more than €3.2bn worth of produce exported to the British market last year.

Bord Bia said on Friday it is continuing to work closely with Irish beef exporters to reassure overseas customers.

So deep is its concern over the reputational damage that it has carried out a statistical survey of online news sources. So far, it says, the impact has been limited outside of Ireland and the UK. In all, 4.4 per cent of online news stories related to the horsemeat issue.

“Accordingly, there is little or no impact to date on trade beyond the Irish and UK markets,” Bord Bia said.

So why look for horsemeat in cheap beef burgers but not look for traces of, say, chicken or lamb?

That’s the question those who suspect a possible conspiracy are asking in the wake of the controversy that now threatens jobs in the meat-processing industry and will probably lead to the destruction of 10 million frozen meat patties – as well as another 3.7 million burgers which were produced in the past week.

In all, 100,000 people are employed in Ireland’s food industry and it will be months before the impact can be assessed – even if there is no danger to human health.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) insists that its tests carried out on cheaper “value” burgers in various supermarkets were completely random; that it had no advanced information and there was no whistleblower pointing it towards possible equine “contamination” in bovine food products.

Raymond Ellard, FSAI director, told the Sunday Independent: “We went to retail outlets. We just took 27 samples, which, as it happens, came from five different production plants in Ireland plus some in the UK. Did we cover every factory that is producing burgers in this country? Probably not. We could have looked for sheep or chicken but we didn’t. The more you test the more it costs, so we were just having a ‘look-see’, to be honest with you. We didn’t expect to find anything as startling as we did find. We picked those two species and said ‘let’s have a look’.”

Pressed further, he insisted that looking for equine DNA was completely random – a shot in the dark.

“I know people will say, ‘there’s no smoke without fire, they must have known something’, but we didn’t. We have done this type of random process before. We went to fish and chip shops and took samples of fish and asked, ‘okay, they are selling it as cod, I wonder if it is actually cod?’ and then in some cases it turned out not to be. It was pollock or whatever.

“We have also looked in the past, using similar technology, for the presence of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). In this case, relating to burgers, we simply said, ‘okay what will we look at this year? We will take a look at beef and we will just see if there is anything else in them’.”

In all, 27 beef burger products were analysed, with 10 of the 27 products (37 per cent) testing positive for horse DNA and 23 (85 per cent) testing positive for pig DNA.

In addition, 31 beef meal products – shopping-trolley staples such as cottage pie, beef curry pie and lasagne – were also analysed. Of these other beef products, 21 were positive for pig DNA but all were negative for horse DNA.

All 19 salami products analysed tested negative for horse DNA.

But traces of horse DNA were detected also in batches of raw ingredients, including some imported from the Netherlands and Spain which are used in the production of burgers.

In simplistic terms, it’s a “beef” powder – meat protein used to bind burgers. Spanish meat producers yesterday insisted they had sold no horsemeat to the UK or Ireland for at least two years.

Confecarne, which represents the industry, insisted Spain was not to blame for the scandal.

A spokesman said Spain did not sell “a single kilo” of horsemeat to the UK or Ireland in 2011 or 2012. The spokesman added: “Spain has quickly been blamed in order to divert attention from a problem they have over there. This false allegation could do a lot of damage to Spanish products.”

While the FSAI findings suggest imported additional products may be the source of the equine contamination, this is not yet proven, though the results of further tests released on Thursday night appear to have narrowed the source of the contaminant down to one imported product.

The beef burger products that tested positive for horse DNA were produced by two processing plants, Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods in Ireland and one plant, Dalepak Hambleton, in the UK.

Silvercrest Foods and Dalepak Hambleton are part of the ABP Food Group – the international meat empire headed up by 75-year-old Larry Goodman – a controversial but low-key figure these days who was a central figure in the Beef tribunal more than two decades ago.

Mr Goodman remains one of the country’s richest men, having rebuilt his empire after his tribunal difficulties.

In his first interview for more than two decades, Mr Goodman said that cost-cutting by his company was not to blame for the contamination.

Mr Goodman said he was “disgusted” by some of the media coverage he had read and said his company had never traded in horsemeat.

“We are talking about DNA testing and DNA will pick up molecules and something in the air,” he told the Financial Times.

“I would not be surprised if there was cross-contamination of various species if one were to do DNA testing.”

He admitted there was intense pressure from retailers on cost but this did not mean that ABP Food Group, the parent company of Silvercrest and Dalepak Hambleton, used inferior products.

However, the president of the ICMSA, John Comer, has said that farmers on the ground have no doubt that a very significant factor in this week’s burger controversy and other previous food controversies are a direct result of the relentless pressure being exerted on processors throughout the EU by the supermarket multiples to supply food at progressively cheaper prices.

The beef burgers that tested positive were on sale in Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi andIceland.

In nine of the 10 beef burger samples from these retailers, horse DNA was found at very low levels. However, in one sample from Tesco, the level of horse DNA indicated that horsemeat accounted for approximately 29 per cent relative to the beef content.

It was that single sample that found that horsemeat accounted for about a third – relative to beef content – of a “beef burger” that is most problematic.

This wasn’t just trace elements of DNA that could have been picked up by tests at aerosol levels. For example, transporting beef product in a refrigerated truck that had once been used to carry horsemeat products could account for a positive test for horse DNA even if the truck had been professionally cleaned and disinfected to a high standard.

The FSAI’s Mr Ellard defended the delay of more than four weeks between the positive tests for equine DNA and the results being made public.

He said it was partly as a result of surprise at the initial findings and the realisation that the results would cause controversy. The FSAI concluded it had to be 100 per cent accurate. As a result, a second batch of tests were carried out and analysed here and further tests were carried out in Germany to ensure the results were correct.

When the positive test for equine material was discovered, further tests were carried out on the composition of that equine material to see if there were any traces of phenylbutazone, otherwise known as “bute”, the anti-inflammatory drug used to treat injured horses but which is banned for human consumption. None was found.

Mr Ellard pointed out that if a horse is administered bute in its lifetime, it is stamped on its horse passport and so should not make its way into the human food chain.

There is a processing industry in Ireland relating to equine meat targeted for the export market. About 20,000 horses are slaughtered in this country each year. The market is small but growing and Mr Ellard says that the same rigorous checks on horsemeat are carried out as occurs in beef factories and slaughter houses.

“There is a vet present. The animals are examined before slaughter and afterwards. There are checks on identity and for the presence of contaminants as there is in the beef or lamb or pig industries,” he said.

But while that is true, the presence of equine DNA in a beef burger and, more saliently, the presence of a large proportion of horsemeat in one specific sample remains a mystery – despite the insistence there being no intrinsic threat to human health.

Professor Alan Reilly, chief executive of the FSAI, said that while there was a plausible explanation for the presence of pig DNA in these products due to the fact that meat from different animals was processed in the same meat plants, there was no clear explanation at this time for the presence of horse DNA in products emanating from meat plants that did not use horsemeat in their production process.

“In Ireland, it is not in our culture to eat horsemeat and therefore, we do not expect to find it in a burger. Likewise, for some religious groups or people who abstain from eating pigmeat, the presence of traces of pig DNA is unacceptable,” he said.

The further test results released on Thursday night did provide some clarity.

They confirmed that nine out of 13 samples of finished burgers at Silvercrest Foods taken this week tested positive for the presence of equine DNA. It also confirmed seven samples of raw ingredients were tested, one of which, sourced from another EU state, tested positive. All ingredients in the production of burgers sourced from Irish suppliers tested negative for equine DNA.

A final positive identification of an imported product as the source of the equine DNA and horsemeat in Irish-produced burgers is getting closer, but every day that passes without a conclusion will cost this country dear.

Charity shops outrage as Taoiseach’s constituency office exempt from rates

while charities pay through the nose

 

TDs’ lavish offices avoid charge rates while charity shops have to pay their rates

Charity shops in the Taoiseach’s home town of Castlebar are facing demands for thousands of euro in commercial rates – but Enda Kenny’s constituency office is exempt from the charge.

In a lucrative perk introduced some years ago as part of the national valuation regulations, TDs’ offices are exempt from the rates.

But in Castlebar, Co Mayo, charities such as the St Vincent de Paul and Oxfam have rates charged on their premises at the same rate as other commercial premises. The same rules apply to charity shops all over Ireland run by organisations like Age Action Ireland, Aware, Barnardos and the Irish Cancer Society.

“It is outrageous that the Taoiseach’s lavish constituency HQ is a freebie for Enda Kenny as far as rates are concerned while Oxfam and other charities are being crucified,” complained local independent councillor Frank Durkan.

But attempts to make charity shops exempt from commercial rates have met with a stony silence from the Department of Finance.

“When you consider the valuable work done by charity shops in helping the marginalised in society on behalf of the State, the demand for commercial rates is ludicrous” said Paul Hughes of the Irish Charity Shops Association.

A sweet return from the simple fruit of Ire-land’s garden

 

Fruit trees and bushes of all kinds can be planted at any time of year because they are practically all supplied nowadays growing in a pot. But the traditional planting time of November to March is still the best, allowing the plant to take root naturally before the spring growing season.

Unlike vegetables that have to be sown each year, many kinds of fruit need relatively little attention. Loganberry is a good example. This old-fashioned fruit was once common in cottage gardens because it was easily propagated by pinning down a shoot tip.

The fruit is a cross between blackberry and raspberry, and originated in California. It is named after its breeder, one Judge Logan, who made the cross between these two fruits in 1881. It has some of the characteristics of blackberry, such as long trailing stems and a white plug in the fruit when picked, and the earlier fruiting of raspberry.

In Scotland, crosses carried out between blackberry and raspberry in the Seventies produced the tayberry, named after the River Tay. The tayberry is similar to loganberry but with larger, sweeter fruit, produced in July rather than the July to September fruiting of loganberry.

As loganberry ripens over a longer period of time, this is a good feature if the fruit is to be eaten fresh, spreading out the picking season but, for jam-making, it is best that most of the fruit comes in at the same time. The tayberry is a heavier cropper and more suitable for jam as it needs less sugar added, but many people enjoy the sharp taste of loganberries.

Both kinds of fruit are available as varieties with prickly stems or smooth stems. Both are easily grown planted against a fence or wall and neither suffers much from diseases or pests. They grow best and carry most fruit in a sunny spot but they are sufficiently vigorous to give a crop even when grown in a north-facing position.

Usually one plant is enough, spanning a length of fence of four metres or more, and no pollinator is needed. When the stems have finished cropping, or at any time during winter, the shoots that have cropped are pruned out close to ground level and the new shoots tied in as replacements.

These fruits and many others are available to buy in garden centres now and can be planted at any time in the coming weeks. Choose the site carefully and prepare the soil well, working in some compost to get the young plant off to a good start.

Two Gardaí injured in Donegal attempted wire theft ‘three youths held’

 

Three juveniles have been arrested after they attempted to steal a quantity of copper wire from an Eircom yard in Bridgend in Donegal.
A Garda patrol car was rammed as the three tried to make their getaway, and two members of the Gardai have been treated for minor injuries.
Two of the young men are being held at Buncrana Garda Station, while the third is receiving medical treatment at Letterkenny General Hospital.
His condition is not thought to be life-threatening.

US researchers map carbon emissions at street level

US scientists have developed new software that can accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions down to individual buildings and streets.

The system combines information from public databases with traffic simulations and energy consumption models.

Researchers believe it could help identify the most effective places to cut emissions.

They say it could aid international efforts to verify reductions in carbon.

We have to have confidence in the numerical value of something. We have to have the same level of confidence about a unit of emissions”

While the United States has one method of measuring carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases at national level, there is little consistency at city and local level.

Details of the new system are published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

According to the scientists from Arizona State University this new measuring system, called Hestia, changes all that.

The research team used data from a number of sources including air pollution reports, traffic counts and tax offices. This is then combined with a modelling system for quantifying CO2 emissions down to individual building level.

Dr Kevin Gurney is one of the leaders of the project. He told BBC News that his team knows the system is working because it is consistent with existing information on emissions.

“We can go to any city in the US and do the quantification and we know it will be utterly consistent from city to city and consistent from city all the way up to national level,” he said.

So far the system has been used on Indianapolis and work is ongoing with Los Angeles and Phoenix. The researchers are learning a great deal about emissions in the urban environment.

“You realise how large a source electricity production is. It tends to swamp the signal in cities. And things like traffic jams and slow downs in traffic, that’s what really hits you,” said Dr Gurney.

The scientists behind the system say it can be extremely useful for cities, helping them to target where to make emissions cuts.

Once those cuts have been made, the system can verify their effect. Verification is also a hugely contentious issue at international negotiations on a global climate treaty.

The scientists are able to provide 3-D pictures of where, when and how emissions are occurring

Many developed countries are concerned that any cuts in carbon agreed by developing nations might not actually happen. Could this system help? Kevin Gurney believes it would.

“Right now we are exploring the use of remote sensing but the nice thing is that now we can use Hestia to calibrate the remote sensing in the cities we have done. Through that we may be able to infer a lot better estimate of emissions in Rio or Delhi,” he said.

The researchers believe that the system can be used to give greater credibility to carbon trading.

“Nobody buys a stock that’s ten dollars plus or minus five dollars,” said Kevin Gurney. “We have to have confidence in the numerical value of something. We have to have the same level of confidence about a unit of emissions.”