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FACTORY FARM: Are we prioritising profits over animal welfare and human health?

Ireland

The traditional image of the small Irish family farm is slowly slipping away with many farms growing more industrialised in response to ambitious production targets set by the State.

16 Backers raised €475 of €2720

Open

CASH COW: Are subsidies encouraging unsustainable farming practices?

Ireland

The farm has a big role to play in the fight against climate change, yet experts argue that it is difficult to shift to a nature-friendly model while subsidies favour intensive production.

25 Backers raised €522 of €1150

Open

WHAT’S THE BEEF? The Covid-19 price crash exposing the beef sector’s soft underbelly

Ireland

The closure of restaurants, fast food outlets and other large beef buyers across Europe during the coronavirus crisis has led to a sharp drop in demand for Irish beef and a price collapse to a ten-year low in a struggling sector already hit hard by years of poor prices.

0 Backers raised €0 of €850

Funded

REAPING THE HARVEST: Have years of neglect left horticulture at a pandemic-provoked tipping point?

Ireland

In March, at the height of the coronavirus crisis, the European Commission issued guidelines that seasonal agricultural workers be treated as frontline workers in order to save fruit and veg harvests.

25 Backers raised €1700 of €1700

Completed

SPRUCED UP: Are coniferous trees killing our native ecosystem?

Ireland

A Government plan to plant almost 400 million trees by 2046 was announced as part of the Climate Action Plan in the past few months. There is a target of 70% conifers and 30% broadleaf for these new plantations which has led to some biodiversity advocates being concerned about the continued afforestation of Ireland by non-native conifers.

54 Backers raised €1950 of €1950

Open

WILD HORSES: Is the number of loose urban horses - and potential neglect - on the rise?

Dublin

Urban horses have been a feature of some parts of Dublin and other Irish cities for decades. There have been attempts in the past to use initiatives and deterrents to reduce the numbers left to roam particular areas, and improve conditions for those remaining.

4 Backers raised €80 of €1850