Lorcan Allen: Exhorting farmers to plant more crops won’t make much difference to food shortfall

As shortages loom, the government target of an extra 25,000 hectares looks likely to be meet but it doesn’t account for a drop in yields due to the fertiliser shortage

Grain shortage fears: the Black Sea region accounts for one third of the world’s wheat supply and the war in Ukraine will send shock waves throughout global food supply chains

“One more cow, one more sow and one more acre under the plough,” was the rallying call deployed during World War II to Ireland’s farmers to increase food production.

The motto was first used by Patrick Hogan, the Cumann na nGaedheal Minister for Agriculture during the early years of the state, and was repurposed during the Emergency when compulsory tillage rules meant every farmer in the country had to plant at least one acre of ...