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Newry and Armagh MLA Gareth Wilson, a member of the DAERA Committee, has welcomed clarity from the Department for Infrastructure on the new Graduated Driving Licence for young people who already hold a tractor licence.
Wilson had questioned Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmons on whether someone with Category F tractor driving experience must still complete the required six month Minimum Mandatory Learning Period before taking their car driving test.
He welcomed the clarification provided by Adrian Borland, Head of Legislation at the Driving, Vehicle & Road Safety Policy Division within the Department for Infrastructure, who stated that "the GDL will apply to all learners, regardless of age, whose provisional license entitlement to drive a category B vehicle commences on or after 1st October 2026. Category B vehicles do not include tractors or other agricultural vehicles, which are classed as category F."
Wilson said: "This is a very topical question and one that I have been asked many times by eager young people who are keen to get on the road and undertake their tests as soon as possible." He said one persistent query had been whether holding a tractor licence removed the need to complete the Minimum Mandatory Learning Period, and he had wanted the official line from the Department on the issue.
He added: "I welcome the important clarification provided by Mr Borland of DFI and I know that it will be very useful as we approach 1st October commencement date for the Graduated Driving License changes becoming active. I wish everyone beginning their car driving learning process under the new rules well and urge everyone to exercise care when they do start driving on the roads in Northern Ireland."
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Beef and dairy farmers in the Newry area who are part of the recently launched Bovine Genetics Programme (BGP) can now take advantage of a free drop-off service, making it more convenient to submit genotyping samples from their breeding livestock.
The scheme is operated by Sustainable Ruminant Genetics (SRG), in conjunction with Veterinary Surgeon Supply Co. Ltd (VSSCo), local vet practices and tag suppliers.
Local drop-off points are located at:
There's more than 40 similar points throughout the north.
Once cattle have been tagged and DNA samples collected, farmers simply place the pink sample vials into the pre-addressed pink envelope supplied with their tags and return them through the designated drop-off location. Samples are then collected by VSSCo and delivered directly to the SRG Genotyping Laboratory for processing.
Victor Chestnutt, Chair of SRG, said the Bovine Genetics Project was about giving farmers access to better information to support breeding decisions and long-term herd improvement, and that for this to happen, participation needed to be as straightforward as possible. He said: "By working with veterinary practices, retail partners and VSSCo, we have created a network of collection points that ensures farmers across Northern Ireland can engage with the project and begin building a clearer picture of the genetic potential within their herds."
Martin Millar, a farmer and BGP advocate, said it was important that participation in the project was as simple and convenient as possible. He said: "Having a local drop-off point makes the process easy. Once samples are collected, it's simply a case of dropping them off during a visit or while passing their local practice or store."
Aoife O'Farrell of Garvagh Vets said genotyping represented the future for farming, and that SRG was leading the way in the roll out of the project. She said: "By giving farmers access to valuable information about their herds, its potential for breeding, productivity and profitability is enormous." She added that veterinary practices worked closely with livestock farmers every day, so the practice was pleased to support the scheme by acting as a sample collection point, and called for more farmers to register and get involved.
Paul Nugent of Fane Valley Stores said the company was pleased to support the initiative, adding that by making sample collections more accessible through its store network, farmers could participate confidently in the project and contribute to stronger herd performance, improved efficiency and a more sustainable future for the livestock sector.
William Sherrard, Managing Director of VSSCo, said the company's Board of Directors were pleased to facilitate and streamline the process by transporting samples from the designated farmer drop-off points to the lab in Belfast. He said SRG offered livestock farmers a unique opportunity to review the genetic potential of their herd, accelerate genetic progress and improve farm profitability.
Farmers are asked to only place DNA samples in the designated SRG envelopes, with BVD samples not to be included. Further information on collection points is available at www.srgni.com/sample-drop-off, or by contacting SRG on 028 2046 2280 or by email at query@srgni.com.
The Bovine Genetics Project aims to support more informed breeding decisions by providing farmers with access to genomic information, herd performance data and benchmarking tools through the SRG User Portal.
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A Castlewellan entrepreneur has won the Newry, Mourne and Down heat of Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch with a mobile app designed to digitise and streamline agricultural tasks. Ben O'Connor secured £1,000 in investment for FarmFlow and a place in the regional final in November.
The heat was held at the Downshire Civic Centre in Downpatrick and featured 10 entrepreneurs from the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area. Mr O'Connor will now pitch for an additional £5,000 to grow his business at the regional final.
Growing up on a dairy farm, he experienced first-hand the reliance on memory, paper notebooks and group chat messages to manage daily farming tasks. The stress, disorganisation and expensive mistakes that resulted motivated him to build FarmFlow, with the aim of putting all that scattered data into one fast, digital platform.
Three other entrepreneurs also took home awards on the day. Niall Brown won the Inclusive Entrepreneurship award for Inclusive Adventures, a community organisation designed to bring people together through movement. Georgia Heaney won the Rising Star award for Breadly, an AI personal finance agent, and Alison Wilson of Silent Cuts won the Social Impact award for her inclusive social enterprise, which provides hairdressing for those with additional needs.
Councillor Glyn Hanna, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said: "We are tremendously proud of all those who both submitted an entry and made it to the local heat final. One of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship is having the confidence to make that first step and we're incredibly proud that Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch provides the platform to do just that."
He added: "Congratulations to all who took part, and to Ben, what an achievement! We can't wait to see you pitch at the final in November."
Heat winners from each of Northern Ireland's 11 councils will progress to the regional final at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Co. Derry, on 18 November. The overall winner will receive the Go Succeed Ultimate Pitch Award and a prize package that includes a photography session supplied by Brian Thompson Photography, a podcast recording session supplied by Attention X Studio NI, membership of Toastmasters and a media training session supplied by LK Communications.
Subcategory prizes include the Go Succeed Social Impact Award, the Go Succeed Inclusive Entrepreneurship Award, the Go Succeed Rising Star Award for the most inspiring 16-25 year-old entrepreneur, and the Go Succeed People's Choice Award for the contestant with the most public votes. Each winner will receive £1,500 towards their business idea.
The pitching competition is organised by the government-backed enterprise support service Go Succeed, which is funded by the UK Government and delivered by Northern Ireland's 11 councils. It supports entrepreneurs, new starts and existing businesses with advice and support, including mentoring, masterclasses, peer networks, access to grant funding and business planning, at every stage of their growth journey. More information is available at www.go-succeed.com
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