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Price: 80p (ir 1.10 eurO) Wednesday, October 24, 2012

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Early Stormont back in focus

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Beekeepers stung by theft of hives SEE PAGE 6

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Wednesday, october 24, 2012
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Jackie Fullerton, eamonn Holmes and Zoe Salmon at a reception for The magic Box television programme last night in Blackstaff studios in Belfast. The programme, hosted by eamonn Holmes and broadcast simultaneously on BBC1 and uTV, marked the end of the old analogue signal

PaGeS 8-12

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up well. All this years maize has been forward sold as feed THE prospect of a few the anaerobic digestion stock for dryish days plant at has encouraged farmers Blakiston Houston Estates, near across Dundonald. Northern Ireland to frenzied attack on commit to a He continued: The what remains recent wet of the 2012 harvest. spell had brought all field The unfortunate halt. Normally we would work to a have most that for many maize reality is of our winter cereal crops sown out growers, the harvest and potato by this stage. Maize, hasnt started yet, leaving them is followed by winter for example, weeks behind their normal schedule. rotation followed on wheat in the the plan is to get this farm. So If the weather picks on up all, we will start harvesting at this overdue work, as with all of soon as soil our conditions forage maize over permit. the next few days, confirmed Co Potato growers have Down not had specialist Allan Chambers. arable their troubles to seek in 2012. A difficult The crop was sown out under crowned growing year has been plastic, so despite the cold, wet described by what can only be summer, yields seem as the most difficult to have held harvest in almost two generations.

By RichaRd halleRon

Last gasp dash to complete harvest

Prospect of dry weather gets

despite the blustery autumnal (Mayor of Ballymena Borough weather conditions last week alderman (chairperson of Moyle district council), councillor Gerardine Mulvenna harry connolly (Ballymoney Borough council), (Mayor of alderman council) met at Glenariff natural Beauty (aonB) Forest Park to launch the larne Borough council) and councillor Sandra P J Mcavoy information leaflet. revamped antrim coast hunter and Glens PicTURe: STeVen McaUley/KeVin area of outstanding McaUley PhoToGRaPhy

PaGeS 13-15

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Wilsons Country managing high director Lewis Cunningham and percentage of green potatoes explained: We know tubers with so called growth of the early digs that from some cracks. will be well down this potato yields This, again, is further year and this is a reality that is now of just how bad growing evidence kicking in conditions right across the UK. have been throughout 2012, The prospect of confirmed Lewis Cunningham. Ireland not being able to meet We estimate that saleable its yields requirements is a real own potato of potatoes possibility could be down this year, something much as 50% year-on-yearby as that has never happened in my life and this may well lead to time. a rise in retail It is an absolute potato prices. growers to get this priority for But there is a silver lifted and put in store years crop lining to all of this from a consumer possible. Only then as quickly as point of can view. The cool growing the volume of stocks we assess season has meant that tuber growth available to take us that will be was quite through the slow, leading to the next few months. production of high dry matter Adding to the potatoes with downward a very high eating pressure on saleable quality, Mr yields is the Cunningham concluded.

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News, comment and analysis

Viewers tune in to the digital age

BY mark raineY and adam kula
mark.rainey@newsletter.co.uk

piCTure: William Cherry/presseye

Stopes broke abortion law

See page 5

TELEVISION viewers in Northern Ireland last night switched over into a new digital age of broadcast media. As the clock struck midnight almost 80 years after the BBC began broadcast images the old

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analogue channels were gone forever and the last UK region to complete the process was receiving a digital signal only. To mark the momentous occasion, both BBC1 and UTV screened a special programme simultaneously from 10.35pm. Olympic legend Dame Mary Peters was given the honour of

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switching off the first of Ulsters 40-plus analogue transmitters the imposing Divis mast south west of Belfast. The changes have been managed by Digital UK, which in Northern Ireland works out of UTV headquarters. Russell Keene from the organisation is confident the vast ma-

jority of people are ready. We know people are aware they have to re-tune. (Todays) main activity is helping people through the switch process, he said. We tend to talk about it as being the biggest change since colour but its bigger than that. See page 9

Nine claims against BBC staff

See page 7

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