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SOME 550,000 Christmas trees are expected to be harvested over the next month.
With the festive season quickly approaching, growers are working overtime to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
The Irish Christmas Tree Growers Association (ICTGA) said the trees are worth €21 million to the economy.
More than 80 Christmas tree growers across the country began harvesting their seasonal crop during the week, with up to 350,000 trees expected to be sold throughout Ireland before Christmas day.
A further 200,000 trees will be exported to European countries including the UK, Germany and France. The ICTGA said the Nordmann Fir and Noble Fir varieties are the most popular trees.
Dermot Page, ICTGA chair, says it can take up to ten years before an Irish-grown Christmas tree is “in peak condition and ready for harvesting”.
As growing conditions have been good this year, trees are displaying particularly good colour so we’re expecting a very good crop for 2015.
Page runs Rathcon Farm in Co Wicklow, where 15,000 trees are grown annually.
He said he’s currently “absolutely flat out meeting deadlines”, but is enjoying the build up to Christmas.
Page is one of several growers encouraging people to buy a real tree this Christmas.
“By choosing a labelled, Irish-grown tree at the local retailer or garden centre this year, families will be supporting a home-grown product of the highest standards.”
ICTGA also supports ‘Operation Hurdle‘ – a campaign aimed at reducing the number of trees stolen from Irish farms this Christmas.
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I think there will be a lot more Bulls coming out following this story.
Simpson scene:- Marge can i have a pet duck ? No Homer , you have Benji the bull ! . well can he have a duck?
He’s had to emigrate to live a life true to himself. Sounds like a well-trodden Irish path.
He doesn’t get to be himself- he won’t be a gay bull anymore he’ll be a bullock -
The Iona Institute are hopefully pissed off over this.. The bull raised cash faster than they did. :-)
Please stop calling it an “Institute”: it’s a lobby group that writes conservative opinion pieces which it refers to as “papers”.
UK law would not permit an organisation like this to refer to itself as an “Institute” and nor should secular Ireland.
The only learned thing about his conservative lobby group is the name “Iona”, which it has re-appropriated from the Abbey set up in Scotland by St Columba.
Rank over!
@winding. Utterly and completely agree with you.
But that’s the name they legally got, so that’s what the homophobic sods have to be called.
However, from now on, I’ll phrase them this way… Iona ‘Institute’.
Apols and lesson learned.
@David: Thanks!
I would suggest that if the Iona ‘Institute’ need money that badly, then they should apply for funding like real centres of learning do – from the Higher Education Authority.
I suspect that’d quickly dispel their confusion about the difference between their lobby group and the many bona fide academic institutions whose reputations they bring into disrepute by using ‘Institute’ in their title.
Now can these same people put their hands in their pockets and give money to child line also. Iv nothing against a gay bull but some people need to get their priorities right
Three questions: Why are humans more important than cattle? Why do you care what people donate their own money to? Do you regularly donate to child line?
Yes, I believe children that may need to ring child line are more important than this bull, I do give to charity by the way, and no I don’t care what other people do with their money. But are you honestly saying that saving this bull is worth more than children living in fear having a number to ring when they need it?
I believe animals are as important as humans. That’s what animal rights is about. So these people who wanted to donate, it’s their choice and their right to have those beliefs.
I believe it’s equally important to save a bull from fear/harm as to save a human from fear/harm.
Good luck with the mooove Benjy
I keep waiting for this to be confirmed as a wind up but it seems like its genuine. Sad reflection on society when something as trivial can not only garner publicity but actually raise money too. I look forward to the gay lobby getting behind (no pun intended) more noble causes.
I think it’s a sad reflection on society that people see animals’ lives as trivial. And this story is a good reflection on society.
So why aren’t you and the gay lobby out there campaigning to save straight bulls? How long have you been hetero phobic?
I am trying to save straight animals, haha. Most of the animals I try to save are straight or if they’re gay then I don’t know it…Most of the animals that ARAN tries to save are probably straight.
Fcuk sake, the bull isn’t fir for purpose, he should be made into burgers!
What because an animal isnt fit for purpose in industry eyes that he deserves to be slaughtered.
so any animal not fit for purpose deserves death? Are u serious? This is why animals rights are always stampled on . Human race is turning into something vile.
Would u say the same about a human not been fit for purpose?
It’s strange that a bull got saved only because it raped other bulls.
I mean, no other bulls were a fan of Benji’s prodding, I’m sure.
He should be hanging up in a factory!!
Where does AI man get his stock, couldn’t benjin have been a donor.
If benjy was that good a bull he would have(a) lived out his life at an AI station (with other bulls )
And (b) he wouldn’t have been bought for 5 grand or so -
He’s a hornless bull
What a load of bo#lo#ks.
Good bye my friend
Must have been some closet.
I wouldn’t mind but he’s an absolutely dreadful looking bull. If he was straight he’d easily be bought for less than 2000, total discrimination against heterosexual Bulls.
A very moving story. As I get older, I’m moving towards a veggie diet. I know I’m very sentimental over
Animals. I no longer eat beef or lamb. Animals do know when they get near the slaughter house. It’s terrible,
They are living beings.
That bull looks fairly feminine
Good im glad he was saved. Jus cause he doesn serve industry expectations.
Hate what this world has become oh no there no use slaughter them as if a life means nothing.
Shameful and humans should be ashamed of themselves to allow other animals lifes be so disposable to them.
Sometimes its evident humans are the worst thing to happen this world. Destroying every th in and anything
What a relief for the straight bulls of Ireland.
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