AGP Executive Report

Energy Transition & Rural Impact: Solid Fuel Merchants Ireland urges a targeted Budget 2027 package to protect rural households, citing survey findings that compliant retailers are routinely undercut by illegal or untaxed sellers and that enforcement is widely seen as insufficient. Renewables & Grid Storage: SSE wins planning consent to double Mullafarry BESS capacity in Mayo to 320MWh (from 160MWh), keeping an 80MW output and aiming to boost Ireland’s homegrown, flexible power. Agriculture & Fodder Pressure: ICSA calls on Government to act immediately on drought-driven fodder shortages, warning the issue is also an income crisis for livestock farmers. Local Business & Payments: Payzone expands Town & City Gift Cards across 3,000 stores, aiming to keep more spend circulating in Irish communities. Workforce & Public Services: Fórsa workers at Oberstown Children Detention Campus begin protest and a 10-hour stoppage over staffing and safety concerns. Transport Engineering: Irish Rail announces weekend DART closures for overhead line repairs and coastal defence works. Industry Leadership: Eaton appoints Shawn Black as president, Aerospace, as it continues to shape its industrial sector leadership. Banking Inclusion: Major banks roll out “Speak Easy” communication cards to help customers with verbal communication difficulties explain needs in-branch. Pharma People Moves: Helus Pharma appoints Regina Donohue as Chief People Officer and Suresh Durgam to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Cross-Border Business Push: Nebraska lawmakers backed LB1087 to create a Nebraska–Ireland Commission aimed at boosting bilateral trade, investment, exchanges and infrastructure links. Data-Centre Power Deal: Kildare gas-turbine specialist OFS is set for a major private equity investment (reportedly above €70m), betting on rising demand from data centres. Energy & Industry Pressure: Ireland’s Chambers warn the State is at economic risk if infrastructure upgrades don’t keep pace. AI Cooling Meets Water Rules: Wallonia blocked Google’s plan for extra river cooling for an AI data centre, a reminder that water rights can still trump tech expansion. Food & Farming Sector Watch: Dairy and farming coverage continues to flag drought pressure and cost impacts on Irish producers. Legal Services Dispute: The Law Society of Ireland says it can’t nominate solicitors for remand prisoners during industrial action, after a judge raised emergency cover concerns. Illicit Trade Alert: High tobacco taxes and light penalties for smugglers are driving global cigarette smuggling, with Ireland highlighted for having the highest EU tobacco taxes.

Data Centres & Power: Amazon says it has been shifting e-commerce workloads across more AWS regions after internal planning flagged power and capacity constraints, with reports pointing to moves away from Dublin toward places like Frankfurt and Zaragoza. Renewables & Research: Teagasc has opened a four-year PhD on agrivoltaics, studying how solar PV affects biodiversity and soil health, with fieldwork planned across Meath and Wexford. Veterinary Medicines: The HPRA reports 13 vet medicine recalls in 2025, most linked to particulate contamination and sterility assurance issues. Energy Costs & Fuel Politics: Fuels for Ireland warns the Government is “sleepwalking” into trouble as excise cuts are set to be unwound from September, with fresh fuel price pressure expected. Agriculture Under Pressure: A Laois dairy farmer says drought is forcing costly feed use and early herd sales, with losses running into thousands per week. AI in Workplaces: NROC research finds only about 5% of employees using generative AI are “effective” users, highlighting a skills gap behind adoption.

Climate Policy Pressure: EPA analysis says nearly every Irish sector is set to miss 2030 emission reduction targets, with electricity and transport both falling short despite some progress on renewables. Energy & Grid: A new policy approach for data centres is reshaping how dispatchable generation and storage can be linked to demand, raising practical questions for Ireland’s power system. Housing & Construction: The Village project in Co Monaghan is pitching eco-friendly homes and workplaces as a modern take on Ireland’s older settlement patterns, aiming to cut energy waste while building community. Agriculture & Farm Safety: ICMSA urges farmers to keep safety front and centre during drought-stressed conditions, as fatigue and farm accidents remain a concern. Rural Enterprise: Westmeath GAA has advanced plans for a multi-million-euro Centre of Excellence, with a planning application due soon. Trade & Security: NATO’s top commander warns that blocking US access to Shannon Airport would likely harm US-Ireland relations and create security implications. Industry & Skills: Ireland’s skills pipeline is in focus as apprenticeships and technician shortages remain a theme across vehicle and high-tech sectors.

Agriculture & Environment: Teagasc-funded research led by Dr Garima Lakhanpal (University of Waterloo) is spotlighting how restricted-duration grazing can cut nitrogen leaching and ammonia losses by up to 40% and 24% in Irish pasture-based dairy systems, with findings set for the Nitrogen Conference in Japan. Food Safety: The FSAI issued 13 closure orders in July 2026, including a Dublin restaurant/café shut over cockroach infestation risks, underlining ongoing pressure on food businesses to meet hygiene standards. Beef Market Signals: DAFM data shows over 1 in 5 steers slaughtered in Ireland in the first half of 2026 graded “O-” or below, with implications for bonus eligibility and processor “in-spec” targets. Energy & Climate Risk: A new look at Europe’s 2026 energy price spike response says governments combined short-term relief with longer-term moves to diversify supply and cut dependency, as inflation and energy poverty risks persist. Rural Life: Roscommon farmers report silage delays and fodder strain as drought limits second-cut growth, with IFA urging rainfall to protect winter feed supplies. Tech & Data Ethics: Irish and UK booksellers report bulk orders of old titles linked to AI training demand, with some books reportedly being stripped and shredded after purchase. Transport & Labour: A viral video shows South African truckers in Ireland enjoying a roadside braai between shifts, a reminder of the cross-border haulage workforce underpinning logistics.

Live Export Logistics: Independent Ireland’s Athlone meeting has produced five proposals after Brittany Ferries stopped carrying livestock, including a planned meeting with Irish Ferries on 21 August to check capacity and ongoing commitment, plus a push to clarify whether ferries have legal obligations to transport livestock. Regional Delivery & Public Capital: Waterford Chamber warns Budget 2027 faces a widening regional output gap, arguing Waterford was named a growth city under Project Ireland 2040 but has not received sustained funding to match other major cities. Energy Cost Pressure: Political flashpoints are building over whether fuel excise supports will be unwound as September approaches, with AA Ireland figures showing diesel up 19c to €1.92 and petrol up 9c to €1.84 in the past month. Agriculture Under Drought: ICBF data says drought has cut average milk production for a 100-cow herd by about €510/week, as yields fall from early-July levels. Housing Supply: Applications have opened for 24 new Cost Rental homes in Dundalk, adding to the push for more affordable rental options. Biomethane Grid Connection: Gas Networks Ireland Connects has linked a first biomethane plant directly to the national gas network in Dublin, signalling more renewable gas integration.

Energy & Cost Pressure: Ireland’s fuel bill is set to jump again as emergency excise relief winds down, with AA Ireland putting diesel at €1.92 and petrol at €1.84 and warning prices could push motorists back toward protests. Farm Safety & Social Farming: Minister Niall Collins has launched a national Health, Safety and Wellbeing Project for social farming, including training across six counties and guidance for safer farm open days and events. Housing for Older People: Tuath Housing and Roscommon County Council opened six age-friendly homes in Castlerea under the Capital Assistance Scheme, designed for independent living with step-free access and A-rated efficiency. Energy Transition Watch: SEAI is exploring nuclear options for Ireland in a decarbonised electricity system study, feeding into a Government white paper. Local Business & Media: The Connaught Telegraph’s Caoimhín Rowland is shortlisted for Political Coverage of the Year at the Local Ireland Media Awards. Tech & Connectivity: Aer Lingus is accelerating Starlink rollout, with transatlantic flights to/from Shannon now equipped for faster onboard Wi-Fi. Planning & Construction: Kildare County Council is set to decide on a proposed 32-home development in Athy, including houses and apartments with new access and parking.

Crypto & AML: Ireland’s first national anti-money laundering strategy through 2030 tightens checks on private crypto wallet transfers and overseas crypto firms, with enhanced due diligence and stricter requirements for regulated providers. Energy Bills & Gas: Small business owners warn they can’t afford the end of Canada’s gas tax exemption, a reminder of how fuel-tax changes can quickly feed into operating costs and consumer prices. Agriculture & Live Exports: Irish farmers warn a ferry move to stop live animal exports to France could push up meat prices, while drought and higher input costs add pressure across crops and livestock. Power & Renewables: Ireland hits a record peak for grid-scale solar generation in July, underlining the pace of rooftop and grid-scale rollout. Skills & Construction: WorldSkills Ireland returns to the RDS Simmonscourt (Sept 16-18) with competitions spanning construction plant fitting, manufacturing, engineering and digital tech, spotlighting the next wave of Irish apprentices. Tobacco Illicit Trade: A new survey finds Galway has the highest rate of non-Irish duty paid cigarette packs, with illegal counterfeit products also flagged.

Food & Safety: Nenagh’s school lunch supply chain is under scrutiny after the HSE prosecuted The Lunch Bag Ltd and Splitstone Ltd over meal-labelling issues and a metal blade found in a school lunch, with court hearing detailing how output surged from ~20,000 to nearly 100,000 meals a day as the firms scaled up for the State-funded programme. EU Packaging Rules: A new EU packaging regime starts applying from 12 August, pushing reuse, refill and return—takeaway customers are expected to bring reusable containers, while businesses face limits on familiar single-use items. Energy Costs: Pinergy says residential electricity prices will rise 7.6% from 14 September, citing wholesale market volatility and the limits of its hedging strategy. Solar Momentum: EirGrid data shows Ireland hit a new grid-scale solar peak of 1,258MW on 11 August, with solar supplying about a third of demand at the peak. Taxi Regulation: The NTA reports a record number of taxi-driver complaints in 2025 (1,815) and a 15% rise in fines issued to licence holders. Agriculture & Land Use: The Department of Agriculture launches a silvoarable pilot (FT13) to support arable crops grown between planned tree rows, setting plot and spacing rules for machinery. Business & Research: Enterprise Ireland’s AKTS 2025 finds €953m in research spend and growing industry-linked projects, with knowledge transfer activity rising across the Irish innovation ecosystem.

SME Policy Push: Azets Ireland urges a €5bn “home-grown” investment fund for indigenous SMEs plus a €350m AI training programme, while calling for minimum wage freezes until 2030 and postponing excise duty rises to protect margins. Energy & Industry: Bia Energy’s €9m anaerobic digestion plant in Huntstown becomes the first in the Republic to connect directly to the national gas grid, a milestone for Ireland’s biomethane build-out. Skills for Renewables: Ohk Energy announces 60 new roles and a Careers Open Night (Aug 27) as demand grows for electricians, roofers and gas installers. Agriculture Under Strain: Farmers report grass growth effectively stopping in parts of east and south Ireland, forcing costly feed use and hitting dairy herds with “€500 a day” pressure. Construction Talent Pipeline: WorldSkills Ireland returns to the RDS (Sept 16-18) with 160+ competitors across construction, manufacturing and engineering categories. Tobacco Illicit Trade: A Waterford Empty Pack Survey finds 19% counterfeit and 52% non-Irish duty paid packs, flagging the county as a major hotspot. Local Business Recognition: Chadwicks Letterkenny is a finalist in the Octabuild Builders Merchant Excellence Awards.

Live Exports: MEP Ciaran Mullooly has called an Athlone public meeting on Saturday (7.30pm) to tackle the live animal export crisis after Brittany Ferries said it will stop carrying livestock to France, leaving Irish Ferries as the only remaining operator; farmers and exporters are urged to “bang heads together” to secure workable capacity. Tobacco Enforcement: New research for JTI Ireland says almost 60% of cigarette packs found in Ireland avoided Irish tax, with about 14% of non-Irish duty-paid packs linked to illegal counterfeit cigarettes—highlighting major tax losses and pressure on legitimate retailers. Inflation Watch: CSO figures show annual consumer price inflation held at 3.4% in July, with monthly rises driven mainly by housing and energy costs. Cork Food & Community: Cork on a Fork returns as a sustainability-focused food festival, spotlighting local food systems, biodiversity and hands-on ways to improve food security. Mobile Sector: Three Ireland reports 5.6m customers and 2% revenue growth in H1 2026, citing continued network expansion. Warehouse Demand: Irish firms are increasingly looking to create extra warehouse capacity without new premises, turning to better use of vertical space and storage systems as logistics vacancy stays tight.

Live Exports Watch: Irish farming circles are bracing for disruption as Brittany Ferries plans to withdraw its Portsmouth live-cattle service, with industry discussing a short-term roll-on/roll-off charter option next spring that will need government backing. Anti-Money Laundering Crackdown: New national AML rules are set to target gambling, crypto assets and terrorist financing, with tougher transparency on ownership and stronger coordination across gardaí, Revenue and financial institutions. Rural Housing & Energy Grants: With renovation demand cooling due to labour and materials costs, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (VPRG) is again in focus, offering up to €50,000 (plus a derelict top-up) to bring long-vacant homes back into use. Forestry Policy Signals: Two government reviews and a public attitudes survey are shaping debate on whether Ireland should prioritise productive conifer forests for carbon goals or broaden biodiversity benefits. Data Centres & Local Powers: A new state law may limit how local officials respond to data centre plans, echoing wider concerns about noise, water use and planning control. Fuel Costs Pressure: The IFA is urging the government to delay the planned reintroduction of fuel excise duty, warning it could push farm families further into negative margins. Tech & Industry Moves: Ryanair signs a five-year Google Cloud and Gemini Enterprise deal to automate crew logistics and decisions, while AWS launches funded data-centre operations training in Aragón to build local talent pipelines.

Data Centres & Insurance: Allianz Commercial says the global data centre insurance market could more than double to £17.8bn by 2030 as AI-driven buildouts turn sites into “mission-critical” infrastructure, with insurers increasingly exposed to climate and supply-chain risk. Irish Energy: EirGrid data shows grid-scale solar hit a record 9.4% share of Ireland’s July electricity mix, up from 8.2% in June, as demand rose to 2,744GWh. Construction & Investment: H.I.G. Capital has bought UK M&E contractor Phoenix ME, targeting expansion across data centres, life sciences and infrastructure with management retained. Dublin Regeneration: Dublin City Council has appointed Purcell for Phase 1 of the €173.2m Parnell Square Cultural Quarter, including a new five-storey City Library and upgrades to the Hugh Lane Gallery wing. Farming Support Pressure: Agriculture Appeals Office figures show only 34% of farmers succeeded (fully or partly) in overturning Department of Agriculture decisions on support eligibility in 2025. R&D Tax Credit Push: A new call urges Ireland to widen and modernise the R&D tax credit to better attract investment, including updating rules for today’s innovation practices. Solar & Grid Planning: Greenlink’s Ireland–Wales power cable route was rerouted after Harry Potter fans objected to it passing near Dobby’s memorial at Freshwater West. Industry Deal Watch: Ryanair signed a five-year data and AI partnership with Google Cloud, rolling out Workspace and Gemini Enterprise across 35,000 staff.

Irish Construction & Housing: Construction starts on Dublin’s new five-storey City Library within weeks, with Purcell Construction appointed for the Phase 1 Parnell Square Cultural Quarter delivery. Football & Talent Pipeline: Shelbourne brings in Keith Long and Ollie Cahill as full-time academy roles under the FAI’s Government Academy Investment Programme, adding structure to League of Ireland youth development. Energy & Consumer Pressure: CRU data shows more households in electricity and gas arrears than ever, with 328,273 in electricity arrears and 188,941 in gas arrears (May), as suppliers move to higher prices and families brace for further cost-of-living strain. Agri-Food & Farm Safety: A man was hospitalised after a livestock incident at Ballinamore Agricultural Show in Co Leitrim, underlining ongoing farm safety risks. Health & Medicines: Trinity and St James’s Hospital research suggests dexamethasone could reduce harmful inflammation in Mycobacterium avium lung disease without weakening infection control. Transport & EVs: EV registrations are up strongly, with EVs now making up one in five cars on Irish roads, pushing Ireland closer to its electrification targets.

Screen Industry & Tax Relief: Revenue figures show 103 film and TV productions received Section 481 corporation tax credits in the first half of 2026, including Netflix projects shot in Ireland such as Mercenary: An Extraction Series and Grown Ups. Food & Drink Recognition: Athlone’s The Irish Craft Soda Co. is a Blas na hÉireann finalist, joining other Westmeath producers including Greene’s Free Range Eggs and Red Rooster Coffee. Flood Insurance Reform: The Government is setting up a flood insurance protection gap working group to tackle access problems as insurers pull back from high-risk areas. Energy & Renewables: Sumitomo has taken a 33.3% stake in the Gwynt Glas floating offshore wind project in the Celtic Sea, with ESB and EDF Power Solutions UK & Ireland holding the rest. Transport & Fuel Costs: AA Ireland reports diesel up 19c/litre in August and petrol up 9c/litre, with further excise restoration due from 1 September. Local Business Growth: Limerick’s H&MV Engineering has secured fresh funding valuing it at €1.4bn and plans hiring as it pushes further into the US. Telecom Consumer Rules (EU): France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls under a new opt-in law with steep fines for violators.

Tax Rules for Influencers: HMRC’s “wholly and exclusively” test is the key for whether surgery costs can be deducted, and cosmetic elements like teeth whitening, lip augmentation and similar “dual purpose” spending are likely to fail if any personal motive is involved. Agri-Fuel Support: The farm and forestry contractors’ group FCI says unspent fuel income support should be fully allocated (€100m) and ring-fenced for agricultural and forestry contracting, warning cost pressures from green diesel haven’t eased. Food Industry Labour: Unite says Flahavan’s workers in Waterford will ballot for strike action over a proposed “flexibility” policy tied to pay, with the union arguing it was never negotiated. Detention Campus Staffing: Fórsa industrial action at Oberstown in north Dublin is set to continue after talks broke down over resourcing and safe staffing, with weekly stoppages planned. Irish Dairy Innovation: Teagasc has launched an EU dairy-beef project, “Better-Calf”, to help grass-based finishing and animal welfare across partner countries. Irish Food Awards: Blas na hÉireann finalists are announced, with 16 Donegal producers making the final stage in Dingle in October. Energy Infrastructure: A UK-Ireland power cable route was rerouted after Harry Potter fans protested it would pass through the fictional “Dobby’s grave” site in Wales. Critical Minerals Investment: Dublin-based TechMet plans a US subsidiary to consolidate its battery-materials stakes and attract more US-based institutional capital.