Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG Tuesday

Irish consumer sentiment hits a fresh 7-year high for April 2014

   

Irish consumer sentiment rebounded to a fresh seven-year high in April, a survey showed on Tuesday, but the authors warned that optimism about the overall economy was not translating into confidence about personal finances.

The KBC Bank Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index climbed to 87.2 in April from 83.1 in March, its highest since January 2007, the year before a property bubble burst and a deep economic crisis took hold.

But while 51% of those surveyed said they expected the Irish economy to improve in the next 12 months, only 17% said they expected their personal finances to improve.

“It is good news that consumers feel the world is getting better but these data are not saying all their problems have gone away,” KBC Bank Ireland chief economist Austin Hughes said.

“While the survey may hint at some pick-up in consumer spending, there is little to suggest a dramatic increase is in prospect.”

Rising house prices and falling unemployment have helped boost confidence since Ireland emerged from its EU-IMF bailout late last year, prompting government ministers to hint at an end to the country’s austerity programme.

Economists polled by Reuters last month forecast gross domestic product growth of 1.7% in 2014, up from a 0.3% contraction last year.

Retail sales were up 8.9% in March from a year earlier although when booming car sales are excluded they rose a more modest 2.2%.

Tuesday’s survey showed the number of people who said the economy was likely to improve in the coming year was stable at around 50%, but the number who expect the economy to worsen fell to 14% from 24% in March.

Parents unite to fight for children’s medical cards

  

The Parents of seriously ill children have launched a national campaign to protect their medical cards.

Dublin man Peter Fitzpatrick and his wife Wendy were inspired and launched the ‘Our Children’s Health’ campaign after witnessing the struggle facing his brother-in-law Kevin Shortall and wife Tracey in trying to secure a long-term medical card for their cancer- stricken daughter Louise.

He said: “The simple fact is, no matter how ill, no matter how severe a condition your child has, there is no legal entitlement to a medical card in Ireland unless your circumstances meet the terms of a crude, outdated means test.

“Failing that, the success or otherwise of your application relies on the discretion of the HSE. Our goal is to change that.”

Louise (8) was only recently issued a year-long medical card, despite being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2012.

Meanwhile, Dubliner Mark Fitzpatrick said he was refused a medical card for his son Eric after being told he earns €70 a week too much to qualify.

His 10-month-old baby was offered a GP visit card instead, but Mr Fitzpatrick insists that by his calculations, Eric should get a medical card.

The Donaghmede man believes that a GP visit card will not be sufficient in assisting his young son’s medical needs.

“Eric got a diagnosis at 10 weeks old. It’s a rare form of epilepsy that will cause very weak muscle tone, so chances are he will never walk or talk.

“He needs 24-hour care, so his mother Wendy had to give up work,” he said.

Separately, Dianna Ross said that she would fully support this campaign, as her seven-year-old son Ben Pretorius was told last year that his medical card was up for renewal and would expire this February.

Ben, who has been seriously ill since birth, was only last week diagnosed as suffering from a rare form of epilepsy.

“He needs 24-hour care,” she said. “He can’t walk, can’t talk, and he can’t feed himself. He depends on us for everything.”

She quit work to become his full-time carer, and described her battle to secure her son a medical card as “a nightmare”.

“He was diagnosed with epilepsy first when he was a baby. They gave us a long-term illness card until he was three.

“When he was five, they sent out the forms for renewal.

“I sent them back, and they refused me. I was sent a GP- visit card in the post.

“I appealed that, and said I wanted the medical card so I got one. So now it is up for renewal again.” She is still waiting for an answer six weeks later.

Newly appointed Children’s Minister Charlie Flanagan said: “There are some difficult cases out there, I would hope that everybody who needs a medical card in this country would have one,” he said.

Irish home mortgages paid in Q1 2014 at lowest since 1972

   

Irish home mortgages paid in Q1 2014 were at the lowest since 1972 according to data issued Tuesday.

The Irish Banking Federation for positive impact has highlighted a 65.6%  rise over Q1 2013 but the inconvenient fact that is missing is that mortgages paid in Q1 2013 had plunged as the end of mortgage interest relief  at in December 2012 had resulted in a temporary spike in Q4 2012.

The IBF/PwC Mortgage Market Profile, published today, shows that a total of 3,425 new mortgages to the value of €568m were drawn down by borrowers in Ireland during the first quarter of 2014.This compared with 5,206 in Q4 2013 and a value of €898.

The Irish Banking Federation endorsed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 auditing firm, says “the latest figures represent an increase of 65.6% in volume and 71.6% in value on the corresponding first quarter of 2013.  Although the first quarter is traditionally the weakest in any year, these latest figures represent the first time a year-on-year increase has been recorded in the first quarter of the year since 2006.”

What it doesn’t wish to highlight is that in Q4 2012 there were drawdowns on 6,043 mortgages with a value of €999m.

The lobby group says that key home purchaser segments of the market, First Time Buyers and Mover Purchasers, continue to dominate the market accounting for almost 85.9% of new mortgages issued.  In effect, over 90% (91.2%) of all mortgage credit now goes to the home purchasing segments of the market.

Noel Brett, IBF chief executive, said: “We welcome the notable year-on-year increase in the number of new mortgages drawn down during the first quarter of this year” – - as we have pointed out, there was no normal notable increase.

“Notwithstanding the fact that Q1 is traditionally the weakest of the four quarters in any year, the volumes recorded are the highest Q1 figures we have seen since 2010 and the first time we have seen Q1 year-on-year growth since 2006. Today’s figures provide further encouraging evidence that the market continues to recover. That said, we remain concerned that housing supply constraints in key locations are becoming a serious impediment to sustained growth; and this is reflected in the widening gap we see developing between the level of mortgage approvals and actual drawdowns,” he added.

About 13 Irish people die of cardiac arrest every day

    

Around 13 people die every day in Ireland as a result of sudden cardiac arrest, however some of these lives could be saved if more people knew CPR, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has said.

According to the foundation, sudden cardiac arrest can affect people of all ages, including babies and children.

Cardiac arrest refers to the sudden loss of function of the heart. It occurs when there is an abrupt disturbance in the heart’s rhythm, causing the heart to stop beating.

A person whose heart has stopped beating will fall unconscious and stop breathing normally. If they do not get immediate medical assistance, sudden cardiac death will follow. Some 5,000 people die as a result of this every year in Ireland.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a first aid technique which should be administered as soon as possible to a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest. It can double a person’s chance of survival by keeping oxygen and blood circulating to the body’s vital organs.

Hands-only (compression-only) CPR is a technique that can be used by anyone who has not undergone CPR training. To highlight the importance of this technique, the IHF held a practical training session for senior politicians, including Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Independent TD Denis Naughton and Senator Jillian Van Turnhout.

The IHF said its aim is to double cardiac arrest survival rates in Ireland by educating the public on how to deliver hands-only CPR. As part of the politicians’ training session, fifth year pupils from Adamstown Community College in Co Dublin were able to show them in just 10 minutes how to carry out the technique.

It involves hard and fast compressions that go at least two inches deep in the centre of the chest. This keeps the heart beating manually.

“In the event of a collapse from cardiac arrest, every minute is vital, but without CPR or defibrillation, their chance of survival falls by up to 10% a minute. After just five minutes, that person may only have a 50% chance of survival.

“At the Irish Heart Foundation, our goal is that all adults and teens know the importance of calling 999 immediately and starting chest compressions, even if they have never been taught CPR before. These two steps can double a person’s chance of survival but without CPR, there may be no-one left for paramedics to save,” said cardiologist and IHF medical director, Dr Angie Brown.

In 2012, 93 people were discharged from hospital following a cardiac arrest, as a result of someone doing CPR or using an AED (automated external defibrillator) on them. An AED is a device that administers an electric shock to a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest.

This week marks the IHF’s 25th Happy Hearts Appeal, which aims to raise €500,000. This money will be used to fund a national hands-only CPR awareness campaign to begin in the autumn.

Heart pins will be on sale on the streets and in SuperValu stores nationwide for €2 from May 15-17.

“This week I am asking everyone to stop and think, would I know what to do if my loved one collapsed suddenly? Our hands-only CPR education campaign could save the life of someone you know. Two-thirds of sudden cardiac arrests happen at home and half happen in front of someone just like you. For just €2, you can support teaching more people how to save a life, maybe the life of someone you love,” Dr Brown added.

Giant planet around dwarf star a surprising discovery

   

First of its kind may reveal new insights about planets and brown dwarfs

The planet GU Psc b, seen in an artist’s conception, is about 10 times bigger than Jupiter, and is located about 50 times farther away from its star than the dwarf planet Pluto is from the sun.

A gigantic planet-like object like no other has been found circling a tiny star at a record distance.

The object is a kind of “super Jupiter” – a gas giant about 10 times bigger than the biggest planet in our solar system, says Marie-Eve Naud, a PhD student at the University of Montreal and lead author of a scientific report describing the planet. The study is being published in the Astrophysical Journal this week.

GU PSc b is 2,000 times farther from its star than the Earth is from the sun, 67 times farther than Neptune and 50 times farther than Pluto — more distant than any planet ever discovered by a long shot, said René Doyon, a University of Montreal professor who is Naud’s co-supervisor and co-author of the report.

But despite the vast distance between them, the planet is bound to its star via gravity, Doyon told CBCNews.ca. “The planet is actually moving with its star.”

The researchers estimate that the planet completes its orbit around the star about once every 80,000 years. The star itself is located about 155 light years away, in the constellation Pisces, and is a small, young one, with just a third the mass of our sun.

MAY NOT BE A PLANET

“Usually you don’t expect big planets around small stars,” Naud said.

The planet GU Psc b and its star GU Psc appear in visible and infrared images from the Gemini South Observatory and an infrared image from the CFHT. Because infrared light is invisible to the naked eye, astronomers use a colour code in which infrared light is represented by the colour red. (University of Montreal)

On the other hand, the unusual object is so big that it may not be a planet at all. It may instead qualify as a brown dwarf or a “failed star” too small to ignite the nuclear reactions that power stars.

“Either way this is exciting,” Doyon said. If it’s a planet, it shows that planets can form farther away from stars than previously thought, and may not always form from the “planetary disk” of dust near a star. If it’s a brown dwarf, it shrinks the known size limit of objects that can form in a way similar to the way stars form.

Regardless of what it is, it is physically similar to a planet and is very valuable to scientists seeking to know more about planets outside our solar system, Doyon said.

“These are truly jewels in the sky. We can study them in gory detail.”

YOUNG HOT AND BRIGHT

The researchers even detected water and methane in the planet’s atmosphere, Doyon added.

The team found GU PSc b during a survey of young stars launched by Naud’s primary supervisor, Étienne Artigaud. He hoped that those stars might be circled by young planets, which are warmer, brighter and easier to see than older planets.

The new planet itself has a temperature of about 700 to 800 C despite the distance from its star. But because it is big and gassy, it wouldn’t be habitable even after it cools to a more comfortable temperature.

“What could be habitable is a moon around that planet,” said Doyon. He added that Jupiter’s moon Europa would have liquid water on its surface if it orbited Gu PSc b. However, the comfortable conditions wouldn’t last long, as the planet would continue to cool rapidly as it got older.

The team found and studied the new object using the Observatoire Mont-Mégantic in Quebec, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Gemini Observatories in Chile and Hawaii.

Although the discovery is unlike any planet seen before, similar objects may be common in the universe, Doyon said. He added that researchers have already found another object much like it around another star.   

Donie's all Ireland news Thursday

Minister Roisin Shortall announces a phased introduction of the free GP care scheme

‘Approved by the Irish Government’ 

         

THE PHASED INTRODUCTION of free GP care has been approved, the Minister of State for Primary Care revealed today.

Roisin Shortall announced that the Government has given its approval to the preparation by the Department of Health of Heads of a Bill to progress the phased introduction of a free GP care in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government.

The first phase will allow for the extension of access to free GP services for those with illnesses or disabilities to be prescribed by regulations under the new legislation.

Shortall said she intended to have the legislation drafted and enacted before the summer recess.

In January, The Minister for Health Dr James Reilly told the Dáil that all claimants of free drugs on the Long-Term Illness Scheme would have free access to GP care by the summer. Those who are signed onto the High-Tech Drugs Scheme would receive care from GPs without cost from 2013, he added.

Unemployed in Ireland “two or three times more likely” to die by suicide – Says Fine Gael TD

   

Mr. Dan Neville above left in his capacity as President of the Irish Association of Suicidology at the opening of its annual conference in 2005.

THE PRESIDENT OF the Irish Association of Irish Suicidology has warned that unemployed people are two to three times more likely to die by suicide than those who are in employment.

Dan Neville, who is also a Fine Gael TD for Limerick, was speaking at a conference in the county this week. He said that unemployment is a factor which is associated with a 70 per cent higher risk of suicide. However, he did say that “the high rate of suicide among the unemployed is partly because people with a psychiatric illness are more likely to lose their jobs”.

Despite this, said Neville at the Working Together to Prevent Suicide event in Templeglantine, “even among people with no history of serious mental illness, unemployment is associated with a 70 per cent higher suicide risk”.

He also made a link between the rise in alcohol consumption during a recession, saying that people in despair can often turn to substance misuse. He said:

When someone loses their job, there is a perceived loss of social worth. Job loss, insecurity and uncertainty coupled with economic strain and the possible threat of home repossession can have a severe impact on mental well-being.

It should be noted that there are often inter-related factors in cases of suicide – some of these are detailed in the list of factors on the Association of Suicidology’s website.

Neville said that implementation of a vision for change, recommendations from an expert group in 2006 on improving mental health services  in Ireland, is “essential”. HSE updates on implementation of those changes can be seen here but according to the recent annual report of the Inspector of Mental Health Service, there was an increase in admissions to mental health services last year.

Dr Edmund O’Dea, chairman of the Service, said that it “remains to be seen” whether the €35 million ring-fenced for improvements in 2012 will actually have to be used to keep current services running smoothly.

Education cutbacks: Over 200 primary schools win a reprieve and won’t lose a teacher

   

The Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has been criticised after he announced that small and rural schools could face cuts and lose teachers, after appeals & protests OVER 200 primary schools who were scheduled to lose a teacher this year, have now won their appeals against the decision.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said fears that many smaller schools would be badly hit have been allayed.

A total of 367 schools appealed the planned staff reduction to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board and 200 appeals were upheld.

Seventy-two small schools submitted applications to the appeals board and 34 of those were upheld so in fact there hasn’t been the massive decimation of rural Ireland, as had been claimed by some spokespersons,” Mr Quinn said.

The cutbacks, where schools needed 14 rather than 12 pupils to secure a second teacher, provoked major protests in areas such as Donegal, where it was claimed that 100 schools would be closed, and in Roscommon, where similar numbers were cited.

Mr Quinn said the response to the issue had been marked by “grossly exaggerated scaremongering for political advantage”.

Affected schools were able to appeal the loss of teachers to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board on the basis that future enrolments justified the retention of their current roster of teachers.

Outpatients failed to turn up for 35,000 appointments 

in Galway’s (UHG and Merlin Park) last year

  

Patients did not show up for 35,000 outpatient appointments at Galway University Hospitals (UHG and Merlin Park) last year.

That’s according to Bill Maher, the newly appointed chief executive of the Galway Roscommon University Hospital Group.

Addressing a meeting of the HSE West’s regional health forum in Merlin Park earlier this week he said this resulted in a reduction in the hospital’s capacity to see new patients and added considerably to waiting lists.

He hoped all patients would make every effort to attend their designated appointments or would notify the hospitals concerned in advance so that their slots may be offered to other patients.

Mr Maher, who briefed members of the forum – all councillors – about the new hospital group which was set up in January and comprises Galway University Hospitals, Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe and Roscommon County Hospital – stated the new structure brings the hospitals together as a single unit.

Its aim is to reduce emergency department admission waiting times; to meet the Department of Health’s targets for inpatient waiting lists and to deliver the 2012 service plan.

So far this year Galway University Hospitals is making “significant progress” with the number of patients who have to wait for a bed and the length of time they have to wait.

Tony Canavan, chief operating officer of the Galway Roscommon University Hospital Group said it has been steadily reducing the waiting times for admission from the ED since the beginning of the year.

“Since January the highest number of patients waiting in the ED for longer than 18 hours was 12 and this occurred on February 21. The situation improved in March when we had 21 days when there were no patients waiting longer than 18 hours and this pattern has continued into April.

“We monitor the bed situation very closely with an initial report every morning at 6.30am followed by a meeting at 8am to decide what actions need to be taken. One of the key differences in our approach this year is the introduction and implementation of the Full Capacity Protocol. The protocol comes into effect when the number of patients on trolleys in the ED reaches a certain threshold and we then transfer a maximum of two patients to each ward from the ED. This approach has reduced the time that it takes to admit a patient to an actual bed on a hospital ward.”

The opening of a medical assessment unit and a short stay medical ward at GUH in January means that patients are admitted under the correct speciality and into the appropriate ward which has improved the efficiency of the hospital considerably, he added.

Another priority is to meet the inpatient waiting list targets set by the Department of Health’s special delivery unit. This stipulates that patients should wait no longer than nine months for an inpatient or daycase procedure.

Mr Maher outlined that a range of measures has been introduced which is helping the organisation achieve this target. These include waiting list validation, improved reporting and focus, more effective use of resources across all of the hospitals in the group, patient education and engagement as well as increasing theatre capacity by opening previously closed theatres.

“In January, GUH had 9,901 patients who would potentially breach the target of waiting longer than nine months if they were not seen by the target date of 30 September. As of the 19 April, we have reduced the number waiting to 5,524 patients and we are on course to achieve the special delivery unit target in September. This is a tremendous achievement and I would like to thank all the staff throughout the group who have helped us get this position and who remain focused on achieving the target.”

The SDU launched an initiative to deal with the outpatient waiting list in March, similar to the project to deal with inpatient waiting lists.

“We are currently preparing to take part in the latest SDU initiative and our aim is to use the resources of all the hospitals in the group to reduce the numbers waiting,” said Mr Maher. “Currently there are 40,517 patients on the outpatient waiting list for GUH; this is an unvalidated list and may include duplicate patients as we know that some patients are routinely referred for the same or similar services to a number of hospitals. We expect the actual number of patients waiting to reduce following the validation exercise.

“We will then look at managing capacity and demand by converting follow-up clinics so that new patients can be seen and also where need be by adding additional clinics.”

‘Pizza topping herb Oregano’ can help with treatment of prostate cancer

     

The herb oregano, often used as a pizza ingredient, could help fight prostate cancer, according to researchers in the US.

The common pizza topping, which is also used to season pasta, could potentially be used to treat prostate cancer, according to researchers at Long Island University (LIU) in New York.

The herb has been long renowned for its various health benefits and now scientists at the university are testing carvacrol, a constituent of oregano, on prostate cancer cells.

The results of the study demonstrate that carvacrol induces apoptosis in these cells, according to Dr Supriya Bavadekar, who is Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at LIU’s Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Apoptosis is programmed cell death, or simply ‘cell suicide’.

“We know that oregano possesses anti-bacterial as well as anti-inflammatory properties, but its effects on cancer cells really elevate the spice to the level of a super-spice like turmeric,” said Dr Bavadekar.

The research team is now working to determine the signaling pathways that the compound carvacrol uses to bring about cancer cell suicide.

Although the study is at an early stage, the scientists believe that the initial results indicate a huge potential in terms of carvacrol’s use as an anti-cancer agent.

“A significant advantage is that oregano is commonly used in food and has a ‘Generally Recognized As Safe’ status in the US. We expect this to translate into a decreased risk of severe toxic effects,” said Dr Bavadekar.

“Some researchers have previously shown that eating pizza may cut down cancer risk. This effect has been mostly attributed to lycopene, a substance found in tomato sauce, but we now feel that even the oregano seasoning may play a role.”

“If the study continues to yield positive results, this super-spice may represent a very promising therapy for patients with prostate cancer,” she added.

Recent data shows that about 1 in 36 men will die of prostate cancer. The disease usually occurs in older men.

It starts in the prostate gland and is conventionally treated with surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and immune therapy.

However, these treatment options are linked with unfortunate complications and severe side effects.

Donie's news Ireland on Friday

The eviction of a elderly couple from their home in Killiney Dublin 'A ghastly sight'

   

‘It's a sign of the times we are in’

   

The eviction of a couple from their home in Killiney, Co Dublin, yesterday has been raised in the Dáil and prompted a protest at the Dublin City Sheriff’s Office.

Gardaí and bailiffs removed Brendan Kelly (71) and his wife Asta (63) from their home at St Matthias Wood, Killiney, Co Dublin around lunchtime yesterday.

A video taken by a neighbour and posted on YouTube shows the couple being removed.

The couple had fallen behind on their mortgage payments, issued by the institution previously known as Irish Nationwide Building Society.

The couple pitched a tent outside their home and slept in it last night.

St Matthias Wood is an exclusive cul-de-sac development of five luxury detached homes situated off Church Road in Killiney. It was built in 2004 by Castlepark.

The couple had operated a successful business in Germany, selling Irish textiles to German holidaymakers, under the brand-name Irland Haus.

At one point, they owned two shops in the exclusive north German island resort of Sylt, and another on the shores of Lake Tegernsee in Baveria.

However, in the late 1990s they decided to sell the business and return to Ireland, investing their money in the Irish property market.

They built a sizeable portfolio of properties, owning several houses in the greater Dublin area.

The couple purchased their Killiney home shortly after it was constructed in 2004 for €3.2 million, with the aid of a €2 million mortgage from Irish Nationwide.

The property is on the market with an asking price of €2.2 million.

Speaking to RTÉ radio this morning Mr Kelly said although the couple were aware the bailiffs were coming, “no circumstances justified” the manner of the eviction.

“The Government have said that they will go out of their way to make sure that people stay in their family homes. This sort of behaviour by a Government-owned bank does not make that claim credible”.

Mr Kelly denied that he was aggressive towards the bailiffs carrying out the eviction. He said he was a landlord by profession and rented quite a number of “good quality” properties around the city.

He said the mortgages on these properties were held by Permanent TSB and Bank of Scotland Ireland.

Asked why they had not sold properties from their portfolio to meet their debts, Mr Kelly said it was practically impossible to sell a property at the moment. The couple met their financial advisers today.

Speaking to radio station Spin 1038, as bailiffs representing the bank entered her home yesterday, Ms Kelly (63) said she and her husband had had trouble paying the mortgage.

In a statement to The Irish Times last night, the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, with which the building society has merged, confirmed it had served a repossession order on a house in Killiney. It said it could not comment on individual cases but “a full legal process” had been followed.

Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil today while this eviction was only receiving media coverage because of the location of the house, it was symptomatic of the housing crisis.

Tánaiste and local TD Eamon Gilmore, described images of the eviction as “distressing” and said although the Kellys had not been in contact with him, he was seeking further details on the case.

A small number of Occupy Dame Street protestors staged a sit-in at the Dublin City Sheriff’s Office this afternoon in protest at the eviction.

State company Eirgrid to develop €240m power grid in the west of Ireland   ‘Called Grid-West’

    

Above is Michael Garrick of Tobin Consulting Engineers, and Dermot Byrne and Andrew Cooke of Eirgrid discuss some of the details of the first phase of a €240 million electrical development project in the west of Ireland.

The state company Eirgrid will launch a €240 million development project for the west of Ireland next week.

It is planning to develop the electricity grid in Co Mayo and surrounding counties in a project called Gridwest.

The plan will involve an investment of some €240 million to strengthen the existing power infrastructure in the region.

One of the main aims of the exercise is to underpin the region’s ability to attract investment that will lead to the creation of new jobs.

It will formally launch Gridwest next week.

The move will mark the start of a consultation process with residents, business and other interested parties.

The company launched a similar programme for the south and east of the Republic last week, which is valued at some €500 million.

Eirgrid, which is responsible for managing the national electricity network, published its annual report yesterday, which showed that the company’s operations made €30.3 million profits last year.

The company is waiting for a Government decision on a Meath-Tyrone power link which had to be abandoned after a planning hearing collapsed in June 2010.

A discovery that Eirgrid’s planning application included the wrong height of some of the pylons led to the collapse of the hearing.

Local interest groups, who say they are concerned about the impact on property values, health and the landscape, want the cables run underground.

An expert group appointed by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, reported earlier this year that placing the power lines under the ground would add over €300 million to the project’s cost and would carry other risks.

Various parties, including Eirgrid, made submissions to a series of Oireachtas committee hearings on the issue.

The interconnector is vital to guaranteeing energy supplies to the region involved.

The Government is due to make a decision on the issue after the Minister brings a memo on security of energy supplies to Cabinet, which he is due to do shortly.

Eirgrid is in the process of putting in place a power link between Ireland and Britain, a link that will come ashore in north Co Dublin.

Cable-laying is due to being shortly, and the work will be finished by the autumn.

Following the completion of the project, which will cost in the region of €600 million, Eirgrid will consider developing further such links with Britain and France

Gardai are planing a crackdown on roaming burglars in Ireland

    

GARDAI are to attempt a massive crackdown on urban burglary gangs who are roaming the country.

The shocking rise in burglaries is to be tackled by a new operation targeting gangs. It comes in the wake of an epidemic of break-ins in Dublin.

Garda stations in the capital and surrounding counties reported sharp rises in burglaries in recent weeks. Nationally, the rate is up 8pc.

The new garda plan, Operation Fiacla, will be directed specifically at roaming criminals who commit house thefts around the country.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter, whose own home was burgled in March, said he is concerned about the increase in break-ins.

concern: However, gardai are now employing targeted strategies to “counter this trend and have had major successes within the last 10 days”, he told the Garda Representative Association conference in Athlone, Co Westmeath.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan revealed two individuals suspected of committing 20 burglaries in the west of Ireland were arrested on Monday morning.

“The increase in burglaries is certainly a concern for us and it is something that we have been discussing for the last day and a half in Templemore,” he said. “We have launched an operation, Fiacla, which will deal with this, particularly travelling criminals.”

Burglar put his gun to my head

SHOCK: Gun pointed at Gerry Garvey in his home

      

A VICIOUS DUBLIN-BASED BURGLARY GANG THREATENED TO SHOOT CHILDREN DURING A VIOLENT BREAK-IN.

Dad-of-four Gerry Garvey was handcuffed and his 16-year-old daughter bound with cable ties as the gang ordered his wife to give them money from a safe.

The vicious thugs then put a sawn-off shotgun to his head and threatened to kill his wife and children if they didn’t comply with their demands.

Today a Dublin suspect was in custody following the terrifying raid on the family’s home.

The 41-year-old from Clondalkin and a second suspect (48), from Cork, were being quizzed about the burglary.

Mr Garvey, his wife Anne, and their children – a twin boy and girl, aged 16 and twin boy and girl, aged 14 – were held hostage at their home by three men on Monday night.

The gang made off with a sum believed to be around €4,000 from the house near Pallasgreen in Limerick. The attack began at around 9.40pm, when the gang broke into Sunville House – which used to be a restaurant – through a patio door.

The three men wore balaclavas and were armed with a sledgehammer and sawn-off shotgun. After storming in, the men started screaming.

“They put a gun to my head as my daughter watched on. They were threatening to kill me and I tried to stay as calm as I could,” Gerry Garvey said.

Anne Garvey was upstairs when raiders broke in – and her husband and daughter were downstairs in the living room.

“They put handcuffs on Gerry and shoved him to the ground while one of them put the sawn-off shotgun to his temple.

“They wanted money and said if they did not get it they would shoot Gerry. They wanted the key (of the safe). I did not give the key to them, and opened the safe myself,” Mrs Garvey said.

Their 16-year-old daughter added: “Dad was on the floor and I was near him. The one with a sledge hammer was taking care of me and the guy with my dad was the main guy and had the gun and was just threatening to kill him.

“Then the guy with the sledgehammer brought me over to where my dad was so we would not go anywhere. One had the gun to my dad’s head and I was right beside him.

“They had me tied with a cable tie and I was crouched down by dad.”

After Mrs Garvey handed over money, the raiders fled. At around 11pm, gardai in Buttevant, Co Cork, stopped a car for speeding and became suspicious of the two male occupants.

They searched the grey BMW and found a large sum of cash.

They two men, which included the man from Clondalkin, were taken to Mallow Garda Station. They appeared before Mallow District Court yesterday in relation to the speeding offence, before they were arrested outside the courthouse in relation to the home invasion.

Polar bears are 450,000 years older than we first thought they were

   

Endangered predator may be particularly vulnerable to rapid climate change in Arctic, experts fear

The polar bear is a much older species than previously thought and probably emerged as the Arctic’s top land predator when a cold-adapted bear diverged from an ancestral brown bear about 600,000 years ago, a study has found.

The findings suggest that the evolution of the world’s largest land carnivore was a much slower process than originally believed, which indicates that the polar bear may be more vulnerable to rapid climate change in the Arctic than previously suggested.

A year ago, scientists produced DNA evidence to suggest that polar bears evolved from ancient brown bears about 150,000 years ago, which surprised many experts because it was a relatively short time for such a big, specialised mammal to have evolved.

This led some to speculate that the polar bear may be able to adapt to the far faster climate changes now taking place in the Arctic, where the sea ice on which the animals hunt has disappeared at a dramatic rate over the past 40 years. However, this earlier study was based on mitochondrial DNA which accounts for less than 1 per cent of an animal’s genetic material and is only inherited through the maternal line.

The latest study, published in the journal Science, is based on the much larger amounts of DNA within the animal’s chromosomes, which contains a more complete genetic history of the species.

When scientists compared chromosomal DNA of 19 polar bears to the similar DNA of other bear species, they found a clear relationship with the brown bear, which sometimes has overlapping territories with the polar bear, especially during warmer periods.

The scientists estimate that the last common ancestor of polar bears and brown bears lived between 338,000 and 934,000 years ago. The most likely date, however, was about 600,000 years ago, when coincidentally there was a marked global cooling resulting in one of the most pronounced ice ages, said Frank Hailer of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt.

“It was the first dramatic cooling period of the ice ages. Our data on the polar bear lineage may be coincidental but it fits in with the time period when the climate was very cold,” he said.

In recent years there have been several reports of encounters between male polar bears and the smaller brown bear resulting in fertile offspring. One hybrid was the result of a hybrid polar-brown bear mating with a pure-bred polar bear.

Dr Hailer said the earlier study on mitochrondrial DNA could be explained by something similar happening about 150,000 years ago, when female brown bears mated with male polar bears resulting in fertile female offspring that “back-crossed” with pure-bred male polar bears, carrying their mitochondrial DNA with them.

“It shows that polar bears and brown bears hybridised about 150,000 years ago and then backcrossed into the main polar bear population. The mitochondrial DNA of polar bears today stems from this period,” Dr Hailer said.

Ireland’s Agri-food industry keeps on growing & is now reaping it’s just rewards

   

AMID THE seemingly relentless narrative of economic gloom, one sector of the Irish economy is holding its own. Ireland’s agri-food industry is flourishing. Food and drink exports increased by 12 per cent last year, reaching close to €9 billion, a record.

Having stayed in the shadows during the economic boom, the industry is firmly back centre stage, as the Government and policymakers try to ease the Irish economy out of recession. It is not difficult to see why. Irish agriculture embodies what is hoped will be the twin catalysts for the Irish economic recovery – exports and innovation.

Despite its reputation as an insular, domestic-focused industry, one of the defining attributes of the sector is its high dependence on export activity. More than 90 per cent of Irish beef and 85 per cent of dairy products are exported. Similarly, the indigenous industry has been at the forefront of scientific and nutritional innovation, as it develops more added-value products in the field of infant formula and whey-based protein nutritionals, and positions itself at the premium end internationally in terms of dairy and meat consumer goods.

But despite all the optimism, the industry is not without its challenges.

It is worth remembering that the Irish agri-food sector still relies on subsidies at a primary level. Irish agriculture may be performing well, but it is doing so in a highly protected market. The Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), the cornerstone of EU agriculture policy, effectively shelters European agriculture from the vagaries of the free market.

Though the methods by which Cap supports farmers has moved from a system of price intervention towards direct financial support to farmers, Cap still represents about 40 per cent of the EU budget, though this figure is falling. Ireland receives close to €2 billion a year in subsidies, mostly through single direct payment. An estimated 70 per cent of farm income derives from direct payments, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association.

Many commentators, including Prof Alan Matthews of Trinity College Dublin, have questioned the commercial viability of a sector that is so heavily supported.

Supporters argue that the system is essential to guarantee a stable food supply, produced to the highest environmental and safety standards for European consumers, as well as stressing its centrality to the rural economy.

While Cap is due to be reformed in 2014, the main changes will most likely concern the renegotiation of the current system whereby different rates are paid to different members and enhanced environmental requirements, rather than any substantive changes. Whatever its critics’ misgivings, Cap is here to stay in some form for the near to medium term.

The other more immediate issue for the sector is its inherent volatility. Like most commodity-based industries, agriculture is a cyclical business. Last year’s growth in Irish food and drink exports was due to high commodity prices as much as any increase in the volume of product sold. The disparity in dairy prices over the last few years exemplifies this price volatility. Milk hit 40 cent a litre in 2007, only to fall to nearly 20 cent within 18 months. Already this year milk prices have weakened from last year’s highs, with one co-op, Arrabawn, reducing the amount it pays farmers for milk earlier this week.

Although research shows underlying global food demand is on an upward growth trajectory as the population increases exponentially, short-term volatility is a reality of the business.

DAIRY: But despite the economic complexities, food production holds huge opportunities for growth. For Ireland, dairy holds the most potential. In 2015 the European milk quota system, which has capped the amount of milk European farmers have been permitted to produce since 1984, is to be abolished.

Ireland is particularly well placed to capitalise on the change, as its grass-based method of production allows it produce milk cheaper than most competitors. While competitors such as New Zealand and the US are expected to increase production by 2020, Europe as a whole is only expected to deliver modest growth allowing Ireland to benefit, though some price deflation is expected as Europe opens up to the market.

Ireland has already established itself internationally as an innovator of dairy-based products. Major listed companies such as Kerry Group and Glanbia have become world leaders in the food and ingredients space, with Glanbia, in particular, capitalising on the growing demand for nutritional products.

Irish co-ops, such as Dairygold and Connacht Gold, have also been to the forefront in cultivating new markets and products, exporting in some cases 98 per cent of the milk they produce, often in collaboration with the Irish Dairy Board.

Lakeland Dairies, which enjoyed a 52 per cent rise in profits last year to €6.85 million on revenues of €472 million, processes about 85 per cent of its milk into powder, which it then exports across Europe and particularly into North Africa. It is also exports branded food service and ingredients products to about 70 countries worldwide.

But despite the success of the Irish dairy industry in cultivating new products and markets, hurdles remain. Ireland’s export opportunities into some markets are limited by trade agreements between other countries. For example, New Zealand, has a bilateral agreement in place with China since 2008, which effectively prohibits Irish milk producers from competing in the space.

Hence the emphasis during this week’s trade mission to China of developing niche, premium-quality dairy products for the huge Chinese consumer market, rather than focus on bulk-selling of milk.

The Irish Dairy Board launched a Kerrygold-branded UHT milk product, which it has been developing specifically for the Chinese palette over the past 18 months with Lakeland Dairies, while Glanbia launched a new whey protein brand for the infant formula market, bringing to 9,000 tonnes the volume of dairy ingredients it exports to China.

Access to markets aside, the other main challenge for the Irish dairy industry is its preparedness for the abolition of milk quotas. The Government predicts a 50 per cent jump in milk volumes following the end of quotas. Ensuring farmers and processors have the capacity for this increase will be challenging.

One contentious issue is the question of consolidation of the co-operative sector, something believed to have been a factor behind recent tension at the Irish Co-operative Society (Icos) which culminated in the exit of its chief executive after a year in the role.

Seen just a few years ago as the necessary price for survival among Irish co-ops, the momentum behind the call for further consolidation appears to have abated in the last yea. This may reflect a certain complacency as milk prices reached record highs, though senior figures in the industry have also questioned the long-term suitability and sustainability of the kind of national consolidation model epitomised by New Zealand, where the country’s main co-ops merged to form dairy company Fonterra.

Nonetheless, it is widely accepted that some form of co-operation is essential if the Irish dairy industry is to compete internationally. Exploratory discussions between Dairygold and Glanbia, which will need extra processing capacity post-2015, about a new processing facility have taken place, while a buy-out of the Glanbia co-op by its 54 per cent co-op shareholders may also resurface as a possibility.

Another concern is whether producers are sufficiently prepared for expansion. The relatively small size of Irish farms, coupled with cultural issues such as the historical reluctance of Irish farmers to lease out land for cultivation and use despite tax incentives, may be barriers to development. Teagasc is playing a key role at producer level, working closely with farmers to improve the quality of their produce by focusing on animal health, nutrition and breeding issues, moves that also lead to more cost-competitive production. Encouraging better farming also has knock-on effects on Ireland’s sustainability agenda, as Bord Bia markets Ireland’s “green” credentials.

BEEF: While the dairy industry is set to take centre stage in Irish farming over the next few years, there is more limited scope for expansion within the beef industry. Ireland is one of the top-five beef exporters in the world and number one in Europe, but the industry is heavily dependent on EU subsidies.

It is widely accepted that any change to the single farm payment would have a serious impact on the viability of beef farming. So too would the liberalisation of world markets, given the large-scale operations and low production costs involved in the production of beef in non-EU bloc countries.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has outlined Ireland’s strong opposition to any relaxation of the rules to allow more South American beef into Europe, citing among many reasons the disparity in production and traceability standards required of South American and Irish beef. The issue is likely to come to the fore in next year’s negotiations on Cap.

Nonetheless, the Irish beef industry has rebounded from the meat scandals of the past, and has successfully managed to market itself as a premium, high-priced product.

While in the 1990s about 50 per cent of Irish beef went to non-EU countries such as the Gulf states, 98 per cent now goes directly on to the shelves of European retailers. Irish processors have built up direct relationships with the top retailers rather than depending on wholesalers. Again, Ireland’s green image is key to branding Irish beef as a premium product.

The suggestion that China may relax its ban on the import of Irish beef which emerged from the recent trade visit, is also welcome.

Irish pork has also managed to recover from the dioxin scare in late 2008. Again China is seen as a major player, as it accounts for half the global production and consumption of pork. It is expected to increase its imports by about 20 per cent as domestic demand outstrips supply. A visit to Ireland last year by leaders from the Chinese pork industry was seen as a key stage in the development of further trade links in this area.

While tillage farming accounts for a relatively small proportion of agricultural land use in Ireland, most cereal growers had a particularly strong year last year, reflecting strong yields. However, potato producers have been struggling, faced with historically-low prices and decline in consumption.

Other areas of growth are in the prepared foods, artisan and SME sector. A number of small, privately owned Irish companies are making their mark. Companies such as Shannon-based ABC Nutrition have made strides in the sports nutrition market internationally, while the sale of John Teeling’s Cooley Distillery to US drinks company Beam for $95 million illustrates the demand for Irish-branded products.

 Potential 

There is also a growing move to develop Ireland’s fish farming industry, with the Asian market a specific focus.

Above all, this week’s trade mission to China illustrates the possibilities open to Ireland in niche and ancillary services related to the agri-food industry. The range of contracts secured – Red Mill’s contract to provide the first imported horse feed into China, an application by Irish fruit company Keeling’s for a licence to export Irish-grown fruit directly to China, and Samco’s development of a corn silage system for the Chinese market – shows the huge potential offered by the agri-food sector internationally in new areas. For a country the size of Ireland, securing a niche in the global market may just be the way forward.