Ireland has to avoid a scenario where it is forced to import grass-based fodder, according to Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson, Charlie McConalogue.

Deputy McConalogue spoke to AgriLand at a consultative conference – which was organised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine – on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, today (Wednesday, July 4).

At the conference – which was addressed by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed – the Donegal TD underlined the importance of preparation and continued assessment of fodder stocks.

While the Fianna Fail representative admitted that there is the potential for a fodder shortage next winter, he said: “I don’t think importing fodder should be something we are aiming to do.

The absolute objective has to be making whatever fodder resources we have stretch. The problem last year was that there really wasn’t enough emphasis put on that – because there was a denial mentality from the minister and the department.

“We advocated a meal voucher last year; the department instead introduced a subsidy scheme to transport grass-based fodder around the country, which we didn’t feel was the most useful way [to deal with the shortage].

“It led to problems later on where the counties which had been exporting fodder, then had to import fodder from other counties and indeed from abroad.

“I think we have to avoid a scenario where we are importing grass-based fodder,” he said.

Deputy McConalogue stated that the importation of fodder must only be considered in a time of “absolute emergency” or “desperation”.

Drought conditions

The prolonged drought conditions the country is experiencing at the moment is “the last thing farmers needed“, Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson added.

It has severely impacted on grass growth levels and has forced farmers to feed fodder, which was originally put aside for next winter, to livestock now. As well as this, it is likely to impact on the yields of second-cut silage, he said.

There is very little you can do about the weather; all you can do is be as prepared as possible and respond to in any way you can.

Need for preparation

The importance of preparation was underlined by the Fianna Fail TD, who believes that last year’s fodder crisis caught both the minister and his department “on the hop”.

Deputy McConalogue stated that the industry needs to know where it stands going into the winter and that “precautionary measures can be taken early in the event that reserves are shown to be low”.

Concluding, he said: “It’s still early to be talking about that; hopefully the weather will pick up.

“We have to be fully prepared this year. I know the department has launched a survey already; it’s important that that would continue.

We have to plan well in advance, assess where we’re at and deal with it through concentrates where necessary. The immediate focus now has to be on actually ensuring that every effort is made to replenish fodder stocks.

“That’s very difficult at the moment, but hopefully things will improve.”

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Lakeland Dairies Agribusiness has set up a dedicated line for milk suppliers and feed customers looking for advice during the current drought period.

The line is open from Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:30pm, according to Lakeland Agri.

With no rain in the immediate forecast, and grass growth at less than 50% of what was being achieved in the same period last year, farmers are urged to contact Lakeland Agri if they are seeking advice and assistance during this “extremely challenging period for grass growth”.

The firm’s nutritional support team will be on hand to assist farmers in putting a strategy in place to address the short-term grass deficit.

They will also discuss measures that can be taken to minimise fodder shortages in the winter as a result.

The helpline is strictly for nutritional advice and support; general inquiries can be made as usual to: 1890-474720; or: 028-30262311 if calling from Northern Ireland.

Helplines

Lakeland is the latest processor to offer support to drought-stricken farmers with a helpline and advice. Earlier this week, Teagasc and Glanbia also established helplines for farmers in need.

Glanbia urged farmers facing difficulties to contact their local Glanbia representative, who can advise of appropriate solutions on an individual farm basis.

Meanwhile, Teagasc has set up clinics and a helpline for farmers who want to speak to an advisor regarding options for feeding stock in the ongoing drought.

Farmers can contact this helpline at: 087-7971377 from 9:00am to 9:00pm each day.

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The fodder census results have been announced by Teagasc earlier today (Thursday, July 19).

The Interagency Fodder Committee conducted a fodder census at the end of June and beginning of July, with the data representing the same time period.

Over 1,000 farmers from across a range of enterprises were surveyed across the country.

Results of this survey in late June / early July showed a deficit of 18% nationally.

The results have to be treated with some caution as conditions have deteriorated since the census date.

According to Dr. Siobhan Kavanagh – who oversaw the census – if it is assumed that half of the second cut has been consumed, Teagasc estimates that the national fodder deficit is now 28%.

Soil moisture deficits are very high ranging from around 50mm to 60mm in Ulster and Connacht, with values elsewhere running between 80mm and 95mm, according to Teagasc.

Grass growth has deteriorated to 25kg DM/ha/day nationally, with eastern, south-east and southern counties worst affected.

In many areas of the south-east, grass growth is 10kg DM/ha or less. This has resulted in a significant gap between supply and demand; consequently significant quantities of silage have been fed on many farms as well as second-cut silage ground being grazed.

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Following the release of the Interagency Fodder Committee fodder census results earlier today (Thursday, July 19), Teagasc has issued a series of steps that drought-stricken farmers can take to prolong their supplies.

According to Dr. Siobhan Kavanagh – who oversaw the census – if it is assumed that half of the second cut has been consumed, Teagasc estimates that the national fodder deficit is now 28%.

The first point the national agricultural extension agency advises is to take action now – early action offers a greater selection of options to bridge the gap between supply and demand.

Next, it is recommended to establish what the deficit is based on the assumption that you will be feeding forage for the next four weeks.

Is the deficit 20% or 50%? A deficit of 20% is relatively easily managed over a whole winter by feeding additional meals, albeit at considerable cost.

However, if the deficit is 50%, very restricted forage and meals is an option but is more difficult to manage over an entire winter. Therefore if your deficit is 40-50%, forage should be sourced and/or demand reduced.

Examine demand for feed on your farm – scan cows and sell empty cows, cull cows or late calving cows, consider putting heavy cattle on ad lib meals and finish them before the winter.

It is important to have fertiliser in the yard ready to spread when the rain comes, Teagasc stresses.

Previous droughts have shown that high grass growth rates follow a drought period.

If grass growth recovers through August some farms may be able to take a silage cut in early September. Make sure to capitalise on this by spreading adequate fertiliser, the agency underlines.

A second fodder census is due to take place on September 1.

The Teagasc helpline number for farmers seeking assistance is: 087-7971377.

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Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed has given an update on the fodder situation, following a meeting today with the Fodder Coordination Group and the release of the fodder census results.

The meeting today (Thursday, July 19) is the third occasion the group has met since the start of the current dry spell.

The minister started by commending the ongoing efforts of the group and its work to mitigate the effects of the current dry period on grazing and fodder supplies.

Continuing, Minister Creed said: “Practical advice being shared across the group on dealing both with the current weather and also on filling the fodder gap that has now been identified is critical to our managing this challenge.

“In light of potential shortfalls in fodder identified in the first fodder survey, the overall priority must be to conserve as much feed for the coming winter when the opportunity to do so arises and to take advantage of growth when it resumes after the current drought.”

In this regard, he emphasised the positive role for industry and banking representatives on the fodder group.

Minister Creed welcomed the initiatives taken to date which include: the availability of an advisory helpline for farmers, with direct access to Teagasc advisors on: 087-7971377; the provision of coordinated advice by co-ops and compounders; the availability of additional concentrate feed for farmers; and the provision of dedicated credit lines by the pillar banks and a number of co-ops.

Acknowledging the ongoing concerns of the farming community, Minister Creed continued: “As I have indicated previously, it is not only Ireland but also other EU member states that are affected by this dry spell.

I have requested that the commission ensures the earliest approval of advance direct support payments this autumn in order to support farmers with this prolonged challenging period.

Concluding, he said: “I have asked that the work of the group continues into the autumn period and to provide ongoing guidance and assistance to impacted farmers.

“I will be actively monitoring this situation through engagement both with the group and its members.”

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As drought conditions drag on – particularly in the southern half of the country – Dairygold has issued a guide for farmers who have not made a second cut of grass silage as of yet.

The advice issued by the southern co-operative is based on four key points.

Knowing your winter forage deficit

Dairygold has stressed that it should be everyone’s first priority to get a winter forage budget completed as soon as possible.

Preliminary analysis by Dairygold’s technical sales advisor James Bourke has indicated that Dairygold suppliers are on average 25% short on winter forage – though the co-op has stressed that this is only a preliminary estimate.

Dairygold will be holding winter fodder budgeting workshops in August to assist farmers establishing exact deficits.

Purchasing alternative standing silage

Though it might be getting late in places, Dairygold raises the option of using maize and wholecrop silage to make up some or all of the missed second cut.

The co-operative notes that 1ac of maize is equivalent to about 4ac of second cut, while 1ac of wholecrop silage is equivalent to 2.25ac of second cut.

This is going on bulk estimates of: a second cut yield of 6t/ac; a maize silage yield of 20t/ac; and wholecrop silage yield of 10t/ac.

Lowering grass demand below average growth rate by using a forage extender

Grass growth rate: Irish soils at the moment have plenty of heat; many farmers also have fertiliser sitting on the ground. While there has been rain in some parts, plenty more is needed.

Dairygold has given estimates of a potential growth rate of 80kg DM/ha for August and 65kg DM/ha for September this year.

This compares favourably to average growth rates of 65kg DM/ha and 55kg DM/ha for August and September respectively over the past four years.

Meanwhile, grass demand is made up of: cows’ daily demand for grass; and the need to grow grass to increase overall farm cover.

Every 1kg of concentrates given to cows will drop grass demand by 0.86kg DM daily.

Your cows’ daily grass intake times your stocking rate makes up your daily demand for grass. If growth rates are greater than demand then you’ve the potential to conserve this excess grass as silage.

The Co. Cork-based firm cautions, however, that one cannot feed extra concentrates as indicated above and conserve all the extra grass as silage.

Farmers need to manage grass to year-end to ensure they: keep grass in cows’ diets to mid-November; close up at the correct overall farm cover; and have grass available to cows in the spring.

Assessing farm cover

In average years, farmers would usually have a farm cover of about 500kg DM/ha at the start of August, with the aim being to drive average farm cover up to about 1,100kg DM/ha by the end of September.

This would mean having to grow a surplus of about 600kg DM/ha above requirements during the two months.

Balancing the books is vital for this.

When assessing how much extra grass feeding additional concentrates can generate, farmers have to: feed the cow; build a wedge of grass; and close the farm in the correct cover to ensure grass availability next spring.

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European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan will meet with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed tomorrow (Tuesday, July 24) to discuss ongoing concerns over fodder stocks nationwide.

Speaking to AgriLand tonight, the commissioner also confirmed that his office had received a request from the Department of Agriculture seeking permission for a potentially “significant amount of land” to be made available for the conservation of fodder.

Speaking after a Bank of Ireland event focused on agriculture and succession in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Commissioner Hogan said: “We got the letter from the Department of Agriculture and the minister today in Brussels, so we’re analysing it at the moment.

I’m meeting the minister tomorrow to discuss the fodder crisis, so hopefully we can do something to help people to plan ahead.

“Hopefully we can overcome some of the difficulties by planning ahead for the next winter in a more prudent way than perhaps happened in the eleventh hour on the last occasion,” Commissioner Hogan said.

Minister submits request

Earlier today, a spokesperson for Minister Creed outlined that a request had been formally sent to the commission asking for “the relaxing of a number of conditions” that could potentially make large swathes of land accessible in order to deal with acute concerns regarding fodder reserves.

The spokesperson stated that: “Having outlined the problems currently being faced by Irish farmers owing to the prolonged winter of 2017/2018; and the continuing summer drought conditions at last week’s European Council of Ministers meeting, Minister Creed has now formally written to the commission seeking support for the relaxing of a number of conditions – which could potentially make a significant amount of land available for the conservation of fodder.

Minister Creed is also scheduled to meet with the pillar banks this week to discuss the difficult situation.

Meanwhile, the advisory helpline for farmers continues to be available, providing direct access to Teagasc advisors at: 087-7971377 between 9:00am and 9:00pm.

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Farmers are being driven to the limits of their endurance, as the consequences of an unprecedented lack of available fodder kicks in, according to independent TD Mattie McGrath.

Deputy McGrath was speaking after he called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, to immediately draw up and implement plans to deal with the issue – including the possible importation of dried fodder produce, such as irrigated alfalfa from Spain.

Criticising Minister Creed’s response to current conditions, the independent representative for Tipperary said: “The message on the ground from the farmers I am talking to is that Minister Creed has utterly failed to grasp the gravity of the crisis that is upon us.

“He is talking about writing to the EU Commission for an extension of available land for the sourcing of fodder, while ignoring the fact that the closing dates for fertiliser and slurry spreading are only a few weeks away.

Farmers simply do not have that kind of time. They are in the midst of a full-blown crisis that is going to have a severe and hugely detrimental impact on the food supply chain and indeed on the national herd.

Deputy McGrath sought a meeting with Minister Creed, stating: “I am calling on the minister to meet with myself and my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group: Michael Collins; Dr. Michael Harty; and Michael Healy-Rae – where I can assure him we will leave him in no doubt about the scale of the emergency.”

Subsidising imported fodder

Meanwhile, the minister must consider possible short-term solutions – like subsidising imported fodder at €50/t, deputy McGrath explained.

“We know that Spain has ample reserves of dried fodder at the moment.

“The fear we have – however – is that the minister is so busy playing diplomatic niceties with the European Commission, that by the time he gets round to actually taking action, the French and continental farmers will have snapped up what dry fodder is currently available.

“Minister Creed must step out of his bubble, visit those areas that have been severely affected and see for himself what it is like when the first-cut silage is gone and the second cut is at best yielding only 25-35% outcomes,” deputy McGrath concluded.

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The potential for an unprecedented fodder crisis this coming winter is growing by the day, according to the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), which has proposed a 10-point plan to combat fodder issues.

Commenting on the situation, ICMSA president Pat McCormack said that the response by Government to date has simply not been adequate.

While weather between now and next April will be key, the president warned that farmers need to be preparing for the worst.

He added that the “wait and see” approach of the Department of Agriculture and the “tweaking of a few schemes” and paying direct payments earlier is not adequate.

If the weather between now and next April goes against us, we are facing an unprecedented crisis and concrete measures are needed now and immediately to minimise the impact.

Describing the need for written applications for GLAS derogations as a “complete underestimation of the current crisis”, McCormack said that farmers haven’t got the time to be dealing with such paperwork.

In response to current conditions, the farmers’ organisation has outlined how best to tackle the current issues.

Concluding, McCormack said, that Irish farmers are in a very serious situation and the time for action is now.

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The Irish Grain and Feed Association (IGFA) estimates that 73% extra compound feed is needed to supply the national cattle herd over the coming winter.

Speaking to AgriLand, Deirdre Webb, director of the IGFA, described this estimate as “conservative”.

“A very conservative estimate at the minute is that their costs will be €718 million higher this winter. That’s extra; that’s not the feed we already make; we make 2.9 million tonnes.”

Deirdre explained that getting this amount of extra feed into the country is going to be very difficult.

It’s not possible. I would say this isn’t possible logistically. It’s going to be a very difficult winter.

‘UK grain is not in our balance sheet anymore’

“If the UK has a 14 million tonne crop and they have 3 million tonnes [of] extra wheat, I would say it’s not available. On your balance sheet, you have to take the UK out. Our first port of call is quite often the UK. It won’t be this spring.

For the first time in our history, the UK crop is going out of the balance sheet.

“We’re heading into Brexit in March 2019 and we’re heading into a winter where there’s going to be a requirement for 73% extra feed, depending on where these figures come in,” she said.

Travelling further afield will mean a longer journey, resulting in more costs and a longer wait for grain to arrive.

“The further you have to go, the more expensive it is; the freight charge is higher. The cheapest freight would be from the UK,” she noted.

Action needed from the banks

Action is needed from the banks and the Government and it’s needed now, Deirdre explained.

“We need the banks to have a granular conversation about what they intend to do.

It would be interesting to see what figures the banks and the minister are putting on the cost of this. We need to see what their intention is and how much money they’re going to make available in response.

“Farmers will need to know immediately; not in three months’ time. Farmers need to know now. They’ve had plenty of warning,” she said.

Access to feed at present

Traders and merchants are finding it difficult to access feed at present. The supply chain wasn’t ready for the results of the fodder meeting on July 19 and there was panic buying, she noted.

“It’s very, very difficult. People are getting behind on deliveries and everyday there is another problem. There are more slippages. There was extreme demand after the fodder meeting on July 19.

“From then on there was an uptake when farmers started to understand what was happening,” she commented.

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About 40,000t of fodder has been identified by “key players” for importation into Ireland, according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.

The minister revealed the figure as he discussed issues relating to fodder shortages and the drought at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Agriculture Committee this evening (Tuesday, September 4).

Commenting on the progress of the recently announced €4.25 million Fodder Import Support Measure, Minister Creed said: “The funding will cover about 80,000t.

As I understand it, about 17 importers – co-ops and others – are approved under the scheme and about 40,000t I think have been identified already by some of the key players.

“Some is already in the country and some has options taken on it.”

‘Constant contact’

While the scheme was announced in recent weeks, the minister stated that his department has been in “constant contact” with stakeholders who have “established track records” when it comes to importing fodder.

“They would have been aware of our thinking and our deliberations on all of these matters. They have been out there in the market place sourcing and taking options.

“The best chance we have of getting out of this [fodder crisis is by] availing of the window of opportunity that is there between now and whenever the growing season ends, whether it’s sooner or later.

“We have to maximise every opportunity; through the tillage scheme, through farmers getting second cuts – and where possible a third cut – and by using the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) concessions.

Every available opportunity has to be maximised; it may not be for yourself, but it could be for your neighbour or somebody else.

The minister underlined the fact that the importation of fodder is not a long-term solution to the problem at hand and that other measures will have to be taken.

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The effects of the summer’s drought are still very evident around the country. Fodder remains in short supply and water was also scarce on this Co. Wicklow farm.

This week FarmLand visited Shane O’Loughlin who farms just outside Aughrim in Co. Wicklow. The springs that supply water to his farm have dried up and he has been transporting water every day from a local river for the past two weeks.

He has completed his feed budget for the winter. Second-cut silage was reduced from 45ac to 5ac, and a large proportion of his beet crop didn’t strike. Wholecrop and Westerwold ryegrass will fill some of the gap, but meal and straw will stretch supplies.

“We did a feed budget six weeks ago and, based on a five month winter, we’re about 10% down; depending on the spring, we’re not too bad. We should be there or thereabouts. If we get a dry autumn and keep some of the younger stock out later, we should be okay,” Shane explained.

We grow some beet. We had a terrible crop this year and some of it didn’t germinate for four months after it was sown, which was a bit of a surprise.

“The beet was grown primarily for the autumn calvers and, even with the reduced crop, we should have enough to see us through. We have a little bit of wholecrop, which we don’t normally grow, but we did this year. It’s a small crop, but it will help as well.

“When the wholecrop was taken off we went in with Westerwolds. We direct drilled in straight after and, while it took a while to get established because the ground was so dry, they seem to have worked out. We hope to get some bales off that crop some time before the end of October, whenever the land holds up and the weather is right. We’ll let it bulk up a bit.”

Shane brought in his autumn calving cows to save grazing ground.

“The dry cows were kept in. Normally the autumn calvers are left out on grass for the autumn, but this year, when we dried them off, we kept them in just to save the ground so we might be able to keep a bit of grass for the younger stock.”

Water supplies

Shane is spending a lot of time and diesel drawing water to his animals, as the springs have dried up on his farm.

“The yard here would be supplied by springs that we harvest and pump around the place. Normally they would slow down a little bit in the autumn, but they slowed down very early in the summer and dried up completely about two weeks ago; so we’re drawing all the water from a local river to keep the farm going.”

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Government spending on measures implemented last year to ease fodder restrictions has been released by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Responding to a parliamentary question on the matter put in by Fianna Fail spokesperson for agriculture Charlie McConalogue, Minister Creed confirmed that the Fodder Transport Support Measure and the Fodder Production Incentive Measure, introduced for tillage farmers last year, have paid out €186,532 and €826,809 respectively, so far.

In a statement from the minister, he said that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine had acted in response to ongoing pressures on fodder on foot of weather conditions, by introducing a series of four fodder support measures during 2018.

The Fodder Import Support Measure and the Fodder Import Support Measure Autumn 2018 were designed to facilitate the importation of fodder by approved co-ops and hauliers and paid a contribution at a set rate towards the cost of transportation.

A total of 27 co-ops applied under the Fodder Import Support Measure – of which some 20 were due for payment having actually imported fodder in compliance with the set criteria.

Some 18 co-ops and hauliers have applied under the Fodder Import Support Autumn 2018.

“In order to optimise the use of the funds available and to ensure funds were available to importers, interim payments totalling €457,610.65 were made to six importers during December 2018,” the minister added.

Remaining payments under this measure will be paid further to the submission of relevant documentation by the remaining importers, Minister Creed said.

Fodder Transport Support Measure

Under the first scheme to be announced last January, over half of the applicants who entered submissions under the scheme were deemed to be ineligible, according to the department.

Of the 609 applicants, only 297 were approved, leaving some 312 deemed ineligible from 14 counties, most significantly in Co. Cork, where some 166 farmers and hauliers were not approved – over half of the total figure.

The north of the country received the most support, with farmers from counties Donegal and Cavan collectively receiving payments of €47,352 and €30,971 respectively.

Under the Fodder Transport Measure, some €186,532 has been paid out to applicant farmers so far.

Fodder Production Incentive Measure for Tillage Farmers 2018

The Fodder Production Incentive Measure for Tillage Farmers provides an incentive of €155/ha for tillage growers who grow a temporary crop of short-rotation grasses for fodder production over the winter months and €100/ha for those growing catch crops such as fodder rape, turnips etc.

Some €2.75 million was allocated by the Department of Agriculture for the Fodder Production Incentive Measure for Tillage Farmers 2018.

The first tranche of payments issued in December 2018 to applicants with catch crops.

A total of 848 applicants received just over €826,000. Payments to those with grasses cannot commence until after February 1, the minister added.

Somewhat predictably, the “sunny south-east” has seen the highest amount paid out to participant farmers so far – though in many cases around half of those who have applied have been paid thus far.

Co. Wexford has seen the highest amount of money paid out under the scheme to date, with participant farmers from this county receiving €208,409; in a distant second, Carlow farmers have so far received €106,859 under the measure.

Rounding off the top three for money paid out, Co. Cork saw just under half its 244 farmers receive payment under the initiative, totalling some €101,947.

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The importation of fodder is one option being considered by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, to alleviate the current shortages facing farmers.

The minister announced today that an immediate review of fodder supplies and identification of possible measures to increase fodder availability will be carried out.

This announcement follows a meeting between department officials, Teagasc and the main co-ops which took place last week. Another meeting of this group is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Wednesday, April 4).

This group is ensuring a co-ordinated approach to the issue and will also look at the availability of forage – including possible recourse to the option of imports, should it be required, the department added.

Commenting on the matter, Minister Creed said: “Significant rainfall over the weekend in many areas of the country has created additional challenges for Irish farmers dealing with what has already been a difficult spring.

“Officials from my department, in conjunction with Teagasc, have been actively monitoring the availability of fodder supplies for purchase by farmers.

Where there had been regional difficulties with fodder availability previously, the recent poor weather – coupled with poor grass growth – has delayed turnout of animals across the country, and this is putting pressure on fodder supplies across a number of regions.

“As supplies are tightening, it is important that these are managed proactively. My officials met with Teagasc and the major co-operatives last week to ensure co-ordinated advisory support for farmers.”

The minister called on farmers who still have supplies to continue to make these available to neighbours through local groups, the co-ops and Teagasc.

Teagasc advisors are available to conduct fodder budgeting and Minister Creed is asking Teagasc to run fodder clinics, in an effort to help farmers manage their particular situation.

Concluding Minister Creed said: “It is important to recognise that while supplies around the country remain tight, other options – including importation – need to be considered.”

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Farmers around the country are facing a growing fodder crisis as supplies run low and difficult weather conditions stall grass growth.

Earlier today, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed announced that the importation of fodder must be considered as one option to alleviate the current fodder shortages farmers face.

The minister announced today that an immediate review of fodder supplies and identification of possible measures to increase fodder availability will be carried out.

Following persistent wet weather, many fields are saturated at present. Meanwhile, the cold weather and recent heavy snowfalls have meant that grass growth is running up to three weeks behind schedule.

This has meant that farmers, who had to house their animals earlier than normal in 2017, have been forced to keep them inside for longer this year as well.

The increased pressure on fodder supplies resulted in shortages emerging – first in the west and north of the country. This situation led to the Fodder Transport Support Measure being launched by Minister Creed earlier this year.

But, since then, fodder supplies have begun to tighten in the east and south of the country as well.

[poll id=”128″]

Welfare of animals and farmers a ‘major concern’

As it stands, the fodder crisis has grown to a stage where the welfare of farmers and their animals are now a major concern, according to the president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), Pat McCormack.

The current situation is an exceptional crisis which requires exceptional crisis measures, according to McCormack.

In addition, Joe Healy, president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), has insisted that Minister Creed must pull together an emergency response to tackle the fodder and income crisis on farms due to the unprecedented weather conditions this spring.

“The situation is close to a national emergency on farms, and we need an emergency response. The minster has to call together all the stakeholders involved as a matter of urgency.”

The weather over the Easter weekend has left farmers reeling at a time when they really needed a period of good weather to get things moving.

“Poor grass growth because of cold weather and wet conditions in fields due to huge rainfall has meant that farmers, who are already under pressure for fodder, have had to keep their animals indoors at a time when they should be out on grass.

“We’re now into April and with the terrible conditions over the weekend the situation is at crisis point in almost all parts of the country,” he said.

Officials from the minister’s department are scheduled to meet with representatives from Teagasc, as well as the main co-ops, tomorrow (Wednesday, April 4) to discuss the fodder situation.

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Dairygold has confirmed that it has organised for the importation of over 2,500t of fodder (haylage and hay) from the UK with the first loads due to arrive in Ireland tomorrow (Thursday, April 5).

The co-op noted that the imported fodder was essential to alleviate the current shortage of fodder facing Irish farmers, who are struggling with a long winter followed by the unseasonably cold and wet spring which has significantly delayed grass growth.

Additional shipments are due daily right through the weekend and into next week.

The fodder will be distributed to Dairygold’s farmers via the branch network across the Munster catchment region.

The co-op has assured that the cost of fodder to its members will be at cost price at source in the UK.

Dairygold had already been working with members over the last 10 days to source fodder from locations around Ireland until it wasn’t possible to source adequate supplies within Ireland.

The situation became more acute over the Easter weekend when an emergency contingency plan was put in place.

Dairygold chairman John O’Gorman explained: “There has been a definite tightening of fodder stocks especially in the last week.

The heavy rain across the country over the Easter weekend compounded an already bad situation on the ground for dairy farmers following one of the worst winters on record.

“Instead of having animals out at grass our members are still dealing with housed animals and all the feeding requirements that involves.”

Continuing, the chairman said: “We have no doubt that this imported fodder is essential. Unfortunately, ground temperatures and grass growth remain well below normal for this time of year – so at this point in time it’s difficult to know when dairy farmers will be in a position to return to grazing.

“This period between the calving and the breeding season is a critical time for animal health and nutrition.

This is a very costly operation and we will be making this point to the department and recommending that it initiates its haulage support programme that worked so well to assist in industry during the last fodder crisis in 2013.

The Irish dairy sector last experienced a fodder crisis five years ago in April 2013. Then Dairygold imported over 10,000t of fodder from the UK and France to alleviate a critical shortage on members’ farms.

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With depleted fodder reserves across many parts of the country, limited grass growth and a delay in turning livestock out to grass, AIB has urged farmers who may need cash flow support as a consequence of the weather to contact their local branch.

The bank outlined a number of options to support its farming customers.

Anne Finnegan, head of AIB’s Agri Sector Team, said: “We are well aware of the challenges that farmers are currently experiencing on-farm as a consequence of the late spring and the heightened rainfall since last summer – particularly along the western seaboard.

“Some farmers are likely to require additional cash flow support as they have been forced to buy in fodder, with many more feeding higher levels of concentrates.

“In some instances farmers have expanded cow numbers in recent years which could increase the strain on working capital at this time.

“We know that cash flow support will mainly be short-to-medium term in nature and a return to normal weather and grass growing conditions should alleviate some of the operational and financial pressures on-farm.

The additional costs experienced may continue to be felt on farm throughout the summer.

“We are encouraging farmers who may need support to quantify the level of working capital they require and make early contact with the bank to consider an appropriate solution to their circumstances.

“We will work with customers on a case by case basis as experience has taught us that no one solution will suit all farms, Finnegan said.

Customers can engage with AIB staff in branch; by phone on: 1890-47-88-33; or online on: www.aib.ie/farming.

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LacPatrick Dairies has moved to support suppliers affected by the extended winter conditions and deteriorating fodder situation.

Over the weekend, LacPatrick called a meeting of its emergency response team to put in place a plan to assist suppliers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The following actions have been put in place.

Silage matchmaking service: Although the fodder situation is critical on many farms, the co-op has said there may be other farms where there are ample fodder supplies.

LacPatrick is compiling a database of those farmers and will put those with fodder in contact with those who do not. There has already been a strong uptake on this, according to the co-op.

Fodder workshop: LacPatrick is holding a workshop to advise on options to address fodder shortages. This will be held in the Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan tomorrow (Thursday, April 5) at 8:00pm.

Maize support: LacPatrick has also secured a large volume – some 4,000t – of maize silage which is being offered to suppliers. A number of suppliers have already taken up this opportunity.

‘Monitoring the situation’

Head of LacPatrick’s Farm Advisory team Dr. Paul Crosson said the co-op has been closely monitoring the situation.

“For many farmers the winter started last August and there has been little or no improvement in the situation.

While farmers in this part of the country would plan for a long winter, the current situation is beyond anyone’s best planning.

“We have put in a place a plan that will make sure that animal and human welfare is protected at this difficult time,” Dr. Crosson said.

“I would urge any LacPatrick supplier who needs help to get in contact immediately so that we can work with them to help them through this difficult time.”

The post LacPatrick: Fodder services in place for suppliers appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The co-operative movement will support farmers through the serious fodder situation, which is developing due to the prolonged period of wet weather, according to the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), the body representing dairy and mart co-ops.

“The co-op movement has been extremely active in responding to the difficult weather conditions facing farmers,” Martin Keane, ICOS president said.

“A fodder shortage emerged along the western seaboard well before Christmas and co-ops have been to the fore in sourcing fodder for farmers in these counties.”

Keane noted the serious fodder situation now developing in the more dairy-intensive regions, as the wait for a let-up in the weather continues.

Many farmers are now short of fodder where typically these farms would have their livestock out at grass and appropriate silage stocks in reserve.

“However, grass growth across the country is several weeks behind normal growth rates, with no sign of improvement, and ground conditions are poor.”

“Co-op farm advisory teams are working intensively with farmers to identify fodder requirements and are developing appropriate feeding regimes in order to stretch fodder stocks,” the president said, adding that a number of co-ops are also sourcing imports of fodder from abroad.

We are now at a situation where weather over the next seven to 10 days will be critical. If the weather does improve, grass growth will resume and the situation will be largely resolved. If not, the situation will be very serious.”

“ICOS acknowledges the fodder transport subsidy measure introduced by the Department of Agriculture in January,” Keane said.

“The minister and his department is in daily contact with ICOS and individual co-ops to keep updated on what is currently a very uncertain and moveable situation on the ground.”

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Lakeland Dairies has set up a dedicated fodder helpline for its milk suppliers on: 042-969-4341, the co-op has announced.

The co-op is advising farmers to measure fodder stocks on the farm and to estimate their fodder requirements until May 1.

Lakeland Dairies has sourced forage and fodder reserves at home and has also established a number of immediate fodder supply channels from the UK.

A spokesperson for the co-op said that it has been in communication with farmers throughout the winter monitoring fodder availability and management.

The co-op’s fodder stretcher also continues to be available at the lowest possible rates, the spokesperson added.

The helpline is dedicated for fodder enquiries only. General enquiries can be made as usual to member relations on: 1890-47-4720.

‘Weather over next week critical’

Co-operative support for fodder-deprived farmers was reinforced by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) president, Martin Keane, who added that the weather over the next week to 10 days will be vital in determining the further escalation of the current fodder shortage.

“Co-op farm advisory teams are working intensively with farmers to identify fodder requirements and are developing appropriate feeding regimes in order to stretch fodder stocks,” the president said, adding that a number of co-ops are also sourcing imports of fodder from abroad.

We are now at a situation where weather over the next seven to 10 days will be critical.

“If the weather does improve, grass growth will resume and the situation will be largely resolved. If not, the situation will be very serious.”

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A survey of over 3,000 farmers – conducted by AgriLand – found that just over 30% of farmers don’t have enough fodder to reach the end of this week.

Supplies of fodder have continued to tighten in recent weeks and livestock farmers across the country are facing significant shortages.

Launching the poll on Tuesday evening (April 3), a total of 3,260 responses were recorded by the following morning.

Meanwhile, 27% of farmers who responded to the survey indicated that they have fodder supplies which will be sufficient for between one and two weeks.

A total of 24% of farmers noted that their supplies will last for up to three weeks, while just 19% of respondents said that they have enough fodder to keep them going for one month or more.

‘Demand will deepen in 3 weeks’

This morning, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed conceded that the extent of fodder shortage is likely to worsen over the next three weeks.

Responding to questions on the gravity of the “fodder crisis” on RTE Radio 1 show Morning Ireland, the minister said that if the current difficult weather conditions continue “it’s likely that in three weeks’ time we would have additional demand for fodder”.

“The estimate in my department last week was that we had in the region of three weeks’ fodder available.

If we didn’t get an increase in soil temperature now; it’s likely that in three weeks’ time we would have additional demand for fodder.

“What we are looking at now, based on soil temperature and grass growth, we are at about a third of grass growth now in comparison to what we were at this time last year.”

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Glanbia has become the latest processor to announce fodder support aid for its customers and members.

The cooperative revealed that, in order to support customers of Glanbia Ireland impacted by severe weather related challenges, it will make a support payment of €50 per tonne on all ruminant feed purchased by Glanbia co-op members during the month of April.

This payment will be made in addition to all other previously announced schemes.

Glanbia chairman Henry Corbally said: “The Glanbia board is very conscious that the prolonged winter and tough spring is having a significant impact on farmers and their animals.

“We are putting in place these additional supports for member customers and will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks.”

Last week, to help farmers deal with the challenging spring, the Glanbia Ireland farm team held a series of animal nutrition clinics at 19 locations from Monday, March 26 to Wednesday, March 28 and will continue to engage as needed with farmers.

Department to import fodder

This follows the news earlier today that the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine is developing a support scheme to import fodder from outside the island of Ireland.

Speaking today after meeting with Teagasc and industry representatives on the current fodder situation, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed said: “As fodder supplies are now tightening across the country, it is important that these are managed proactively.

We will unfortunately have to import fodder again as occurred in 2013 to supplement existing supplies as the prolonged bad weather conditions continue.

“I have asked my officials to develop a scheme to support the import of fodder from outside the island of Ireland.”

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The first shipment of the imported fodder organised by Dairygold to assist its suppliers has arrived into Rosslare Port this morning (Thursday, April 5).

This is the first of some 2,500t of hay and haylage ordered by the co-op to be distributed to its members at cost price, according to the southern processor.

At Rosslare Port this morning where the first of 2,500 tonnes of hay and haulage has landed to be distributed to our Members. pic.twitter.com/bAfQhc7uEN

— Dairygold Co-Op (@DairygoldCo_Op) April 5, 2018

The co-op noted that the imported fodder was essential to alleviate the current shortage of fodder facing Irish farmers, who are struggling with a long winter followed by the unseasonably cold and wet spring which has significantly delayed grass growth.

Additional shipments are due daily right through the weekend and into next week.

The fodder will be distributed to Dairygold’s farmers via the branch network across the Munster catchment region.

Dairygold had already been working with members over the last 10 days to source fodder from locations around Ireland until it took the decision to source supplies abroad.

The post First Dairygold shipment of fodder lands in Wexford appeared first on Agriland.ie.

As critical discussions on the fodder crisis continue, Macra na Feirme has urged farmers not to suffer in silence; speaking to a friend or neighbour can help ease the mental burden.

Macra na Feirme national president James Healy said: “The amount of stress, anxiety and worry in the farming profession is enormous.

“Farmers are responsible for so much, but cannot control the weather and it’s important to remember that you are not alone at this time.

I would encourage farmers to talk to someone to ease that burden on your mind – the crisis won’t disappear, but talking about it will help you to realise that in the coming days and weeks conditions will improve.

“Whether it’s family, a doctor, friend or a regular visitor to the farm such as a vet, talk about any stress you may be feeling at this time,” the president said.

These recommendations come in light of the growing pressure on farmers to source forage to feed housed animals as weather conditions continue to remain wintry.

Up to 50mm rainfall given

Met Eireann recently issued a Status Yellow rainfall warning for a number of southern counties, with up to 50mm of rain expected to fall in places in the coming hours.

Issued for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford, there will be between 30mm and 50mm of rain in many areas with a risk of flooding, the national meteorological office warned.

The warning is valid from 2:00pm today for a 24-hour period.

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As the first shipments of fodder ordered in by Dairygold begin to arrive into the country, Seamus O’Mahony – head of sales at Dairygold Agribusiness – said that it is part of an order of some 3,500 bales overall.

Speaking to RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland show from Rosslare Port this morning, O’Mahoney described how the bales of hay and haylage were being unloaded and set for distribution to the co-op’s suppliers who were in the most difficulty.

“We’ve about 3,500 bales of forage coming in over the coming days, over the next two to three days,” he said.

Commenting on why the co-op acted to bring in the importation of fodder, the Dairygold representative said: “We have two explanations with our farmer members through our milk advisory teams and our area sales managers and we’ve been seeing over the last couple of months that farmers have been trying to stretch existing fodder.

We’ve had two storm events; a late spring; farmers didn’t have the opportunity to put out fertiliser; and normally cows would be at grass by St. Patrick’s day – so all of those factors didn’t click.

“We expect it will be another two weeks before grass supply will balance out demand. So, we had to act fast and early,” O’Mahoney explained.

Crisis

Broached on when exactly Dairygold realised it was a crisis, the head of sales said: “For the last two or three weeks we’ve been matching farmers that are short on forage with farmers that had surplus and local supplies were beginning to dwindle and it’s better to be too early than too late.

“So, we’ve had an existing supply route from a previous forage deficit back in 2013 so we’ve had the infrastructure to be able to support our farmers so we acted on that.

Even as we speak we have a couple of our team in the UK to sort more feed if needed.

O’Mahoney was also asked about Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed changing his view on the availability of fodder yesterday.

To this, he said: “There has been a stakeholder meeting set up by the Department of Agriculture with the advisory bodies and the co-operative bodies together.

“If weather had changed in the last week or 10 days, most people may have been able to get through with support from their neighbours – but at this stage many farmers are saying that they don’t see a change for the next week or ten days so some farmers will try to hold onto their fodder to get through.”

Denial?

Asked if he agreed with the assessment that the Government was in denial over the issue, O’Mahoney replied:

“I would say that it was an evolving situation, and maybe two weeks ago you might have liked to imagine that people would get through the situation but we just couldn’t take that chance.

“Our members had firsthand experience, and the feedback from our members [was] that they needed feed; the co-op Dairygold is there to help its members.

“We’ve had provisional feedback form the Department of Agriculture that there will be some support form that; I haven’t details on that but we’re hoping the department will support that. One way or the other, Dairygold has gone ahead and brought in the fodder for the farmers because it’s needed now, and we’ll be giving the feed at the cost from the farm in the UK and retaining the costs for now.

If we go back to 2013, we imported over 10,000t or 11,000t at that stage.

“I’m not sure it’ll be as high as that this time but it could be half as much or two thirds as much as that again.”

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Arrabawn has announced that it is keeping a close eye on fodder issues with its suppliers, adding that it has sourced feed for the “very small number” of farmer suppliers in difficulty under the co-op’s remit.

Speaking this morning regarding measures to combat fodder shortages, an Arrabawn spokesperson stated: “We have been in ongoing contact with our suppliers through our co-op network and facilitated our members with options on fodder over the last two-to-three weeks under the fodder transport subsidy scheme.

While the situation is challenging due to prolonged bad weather, to date only a very small number of suppliers have looked for support.

“We have facilitated them by helping procure fodder from the south-east region and, as a contingency, we will be importing bales of hay over the weekend.

“Beyond that we will be keeping a close eye on matters and will put further measures in place next week should the need arise,” the co-op spokesperson said.

Kerry Group importing 2,000 bales of hay

As well as this, Kerry Group has confirmed that it has sourced 2,000 large square bales of hay in the UK; it expects that the first deliveries will arrive over the weekend.

The imported fodder will be distributed through its network of agribusiness stores to farmers most in need. It has identified “a number of pockets” where fodder supplies have reached critical levels.

Kerry has also been working to identify farmers who have surplus fodder and to put them in contact with farmers who are running low.

Government response ‘too little too late’

Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has voiced its frustration with Government inactivity on the issue, with IFA president Joe Healy describing Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed’s acknowledgement yesterday of the extent and seriousness of the fodder shortage across the country as “too little, too late”.

He said the minister’s announcement that he will subsidise the importation of fodder is welcome, but should have been in place before now.

The detail of the import subsidy scheme must be worked out immediately to ensure it gets up and running, and fodder can get to farmers in need without any further delay.

The easing of the 100km rule in the Fodder Transport Support Measure is an attempt to resurrect a failed scheme that is tied up with too much red tape, Healy said.

The IFA had spelled out a number of “practical actions” the minister should take to alleviate the stress for farmers, such as the introduction of a meal voucher system and the suspension of inspections on farms.

The farmers’ organisation has proposed a number of measures that should be implemented as a matter of urgency.

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The ongoing fodder crisis is particularly severe for suckler and sheep farmers who do not have a monthly cheque coming in, and whose farming enterprises do not sell stock at this time of year, according to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA)

Speaking on the matter, ICSA president Patrick Kent said: “Cash flow is a significant issue for suckler and sheep farmers and, with virtually no fodder left to move around the country, meal vouchers to supplement fodder are now essential to alleviate the hardship.

This would be limited to those with no monthly cheque and only in respect of normal livestock numbers traditionally kept on such farms.

The ICSA has been arguing that meal vouchers were an essential component to stave off this crisis since last December, according to Kent.

He added: “We believe that a system could be devised that is targeted at farmers who have a fodder crisis identified by way of an up-to-date fodder budget compiled by Teagasc or a private planner.

“We believe that the amount per farm should be linked to the need identified, but it would be likely that the cost could be in the order of €50 per suckler cow or €5 per sheep.

“Farmers have no option but to keep cattle housed, so the priority now has to be getting energy to those cattle. It’s calamitous that we have got to this point when all the signals pointing to a fodder crisis were evident months ago.”

Emergency assistance

ICSA suckler chairman John Halley welcomed a statement from Minister Creed yesterday afternoon that the Department of Agriculture’s Early Warning System is fully operational at this time.

“This will provide emergency assistance to farmers whose animals are experiencing serious welfare issues and to farmers who are unable to cope with the situation.

“I would urge all farmers to use this facility which was set up for precisely the conditions being experienced at present.

We need more support for farm families enduring severe hardship and we must remember that this is not just about animal welfare, but the welfare of farm families as well.

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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed has allocated €1.5 million towards the introduction of a Fodder Import Support measure.

“‘In light of poor weather conditions and an evolving fodder supply challenge across the country, I am immediately introducing a support measure contributing to the cost of importing fodder from abroad,” he said in an announcement today.

“I welcome the moves to import fodder by the co-operatives and this measure supports this initiative. The co-operative ethos remains very strong and vibrant in Irish agriculture.”

This measure is being introduced with immediate effect “to reduce the cost to farmers of imported forage (hay, silage, haylage, etc) from outside the island of Ireland”.

The measure will operate through the dairy co-operatives. It will cover forage imported by the co-ops from April 5 through to April 30 and will be subject to EU State Aid (de-minimis) rules.

This initial allocation will support the importation of up to 20,000t of fodder into the country and this will be kept under ongoing review until the current crisis is over.

The minister stressed that, while the measure will operate through the dairy co-operatives, the actual beneficiaries will be farmers who urgently need supplies.

Minister Creed added: “This measure will largely replicate the straightforward approach adopted in 2013, whereby a farmer approached a participating co-op, purchased fodder and my department subsequently paid the transport support element to the co-op.”

Application forms and terms and conditions will be made available through the co-ops and on the department’s website from tomorrow. Supplies imported today will be covered.

Existing ‘transport subsidy’

This further measure is intended to build on existing supports, including the Fodder Transport Support measure introduced in January.

Specifically, the minister said that this existing, previous measure would now apply to all counties with immediate effect; the need for a fodder budget has also been removed and the minimum distance requirement would be reduced to 50km.

The minister concluded by saying: “I will continue to monitor the fodder situation closely and work with all stakeholders until we have successfully come through this trying period.”

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The first thing that strikes you when you walk into Thomas O’Connor’s yard is that you could eat your dinner off the concrete. Animals are content with silage in front of them and are completely unaware of the struggle the farmer on the teleporter is undergoing to feed them.

Thomas is a young, well-organised farmer striving to be as efficient as possible by planning ahead and managing grassland. However, the fodder crisis has hit his farm – and farms all over the country – hard.

Farming in Moone, Co. Kildare, Thomas has been without his own fodder for the past two weeks. He sourced silage in nearby Castledermot, but this will run out this weekend.

The young farmer made 20 phone calls, enquiring about silage, on the morning that AgriLand visited; the calls were to no avail.

During the visit, a neighbour called in to inform Thomas that he had straw available and knew of someone who had some silage. This is how the majority of people are getting through this crisis – their neighbours and friends.

Present silage source

“I found the silage I have now through my Teagasc advisor. This is the end of the second week drawing silage from there. It will do me until this weekend. I’m getting 7.5t of silage per day and that’s just enough to feed the cattle.

I was completely out of fodder two weeks ago. Last year, I turned out the first cattle on February 13 and they never came back in.

Turnout

The persistent rain has prevented animals going out onto the land. On this, he said: “There would have been enough grass. It’s well set up in paddocks. The fertiliser and the slurry is out.”

Thomas has always had cattle out by St. Patrick’s Day. He let out some cattle in March, but they came back in a few days later.

“I’ve been home full time for about seven or eight years and this is the first time that we haven’t had all of the yearling cattle out before St. Patrick’s Day.

“I put out yearling bulls to grass on March 24 and I had to put half of them back in on Monday and the other half in on Wednesday. The rain this week finished it. I had 30 cows and calves out as well and they had to be re-housed.”

More stock arriving

Thomas sold cattle on Wednesday, April 4. However, he finishes a certain number of animals each year and has already organised to replace the sold stock.

“I’m trying to get into a system where the shed is full the whole year round. I killed cattle yesterday (April 4) and I have them replaced already.

“I have all my cattle bought for grass. That’s putting me under pressure as well. I normally like to buy my cattle early in the spring because they will put on about 30kg in March.

The thrive they achieve in March – that 30kg – stays with them the whole way through. The cattle that come in at the backend of the year will be lighter now.

Straw stocks down

Thomas outlined that he needs straw to bed his cows and calves, adding: “I had to buy straw two weeks ago. I have suckler cows and calves and I have to keep straw under them to prevent pneumonia.

At the price of straw now, I’ll have to feed it.

Thomas has increased meal feeding and is also trying to source alfalfa from his local co-op.

“I’m feeding more meal to try and reduce the silage demand. I was actually just on the phone to my local co-op and I was the first person to enquire about the alfalfa coming into the country,” he explained.

It is not just Thomas that has found himself in this situation; many of his friends are encountering the same problems.

“The majority of my friends have enough for the next three-to-five days; a week is the most people have. A few of my friends who are milking said that they’re feeding more meal. However, their proteins are down and it’s costing them about an extra €1,800/month,” he added.

What next?

Thomas has a positive attitude to the whole situation, but he’s clearly under pressure.

“My neighbour is after giving me the name of another man to try. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll probably be able to get a load of maize from another neighbour.

It’s literally neighbours helping one another out; I’ll try and get alfalfa if that comes into the co-op.

Thomas hopes to get out to grass with some animals as soon as possible to reduce demand.

“We’re not too bad; we have grass. I think the weather is to improve next week. If we got over these 2in of rain at the weekend and got four or five days of dry weather, I’d get out next week. I hope to get the young bulls and at least half of the cows out as well,” he concluded.

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There is no safety cushion for systems that have been “pushed beyond their limits” when things go wrong, according the president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), Patrick Kent.

Kent explained that the ICSA has had feedback from licenced knackeries which indicates that the impact of the fodder crisis and the ongoing bad weather since last July is really taking a toll.

“Knackeries are flat out collecting dead animals, which shows just how bad things are. If the minister is in any doubt, he should talk to the people who are at the coalface of dealing with this crisis.

Consequences of weather

“It is clear that the fodder crisis is impacting severely – but it is equally the case that even where there is fodder, the long winter and atrocious weather is also leading to increased levels of animal disease such as pneumonia.”

The ICSA president added that it is now time to stop the relentless focus, at all costs, on increased production and ever higher stocking rates.

“This fodder crisis is the second major fodder crisis in five years. With the high stocking rates that have been advocated, everything must go right or there are consequences.

We are witnessing those consequences now and, with two crises in the last five years, the trend is bound to continue.

“Systems have been pushed beyond their limits and there is no safety cushion built in for when things go wrong. The wet autumn, the early onset of winter, the snow and late spring have all combined to throw everything out of whack.

“If it had have been a good year weather-wise we might not be in the situation we’re in, but it hasn’t been a good year and farmers can’t cope.”

He also criticised the Department of Agriculture for failing to react to the crisis sooner, explaining that the ICSA has been “flagging a fodder catastrophe for months now”.

“It’s not good enough to expect farmers to maximise production to meet overly ambitious export targets and then wash your hands when trouble hits,” Kent said.

‘Gamble’

Concluding, Kent said: “Advice to get into so many cattle is all well and good, but – at the end of the day – it’s still a gamble when you can’t control the weather.

There can be no doubt this crisis is having an animal welfare impact and farmers no longer want to hear about a transport subsidy that hasn’t worked; they need subsidies to buy feed now.

“We also have to be very sensitive to the immense mental pressure that many farmers are under and I am calling on the minister to ensure that all inspectors are directed to avoid doing anything to add to the stress that farmers are under.”

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There has been a noted increase in the amount of animals being sent to knackeries in recent months, but some have seen more of a surge than others.

Recently, the president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), Patrick Kent, noted that the amount of stock going into knackeries is double what is normal for this time of year.

In light of this, AgriLand got in contact with a number of animal collection facilities around the country to determine the extent of this increase.

According to knackeries contacted, overall the midlands and south-east of the country have been hit hardest with animal deaths in recent months – though it should be noted that the sample population comprised of six companies that were successfully contacted.

South

Speaking to a company in the south of the country, it transpired that the facility had seen a sizeable increase in animals coming in. While not double the usual amount, it was approximately 50% up on other years, a representative said.

This was down to the adverse weather in the main, a spokesperson said, with snow, storms and other difficult conditions all contributing to the rise in numbers.

Midlands

A facility owner AgriLand got in touch with in the midlands said that it was the busiest period he had ever seen in 40 years of business, with employees having to work seven days a week.

“We can’t cope,” he said. “From the snow to now, it’s been downhill.”

The firm is handling more than 100 calls a day at the minimum, the owner added, with up to 150 calls coming in some days.

This was as a result of the cold and malnourishment, with farmers forced to feed bad fodder and now running out of fodder altogether, he added.

Instead of the couple of calves a day as usual, five or six cows are being taken in. The level of demand was also having a negative impact, as there wasn’t time to salvage as normal, the owner explained

West

A representative of a company located in the west of Ireland saw less of a demand; while animal intake had gone up a fraction, it was nowhere near double, the spokespserson said.

This was confirmed by a business in the north-west, who said that it was busy – but “not crazy“. There was an increase in calves and lambs, but “nothing extraordinary”.

There has been a big increase in calves and lambs, caused by overcrowding in sheds and infections spreading, the spokesperson outlined.

But, when they go out to grass – if conditions remain the same – there could be a rise, they added.

East

Meanwhile, in the east of the country, numbers were also up. This was largely down to the time of the year, however, according to another spokesperson.

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Farmers seeking to buy in fodder drastically outnumber those attempting to sell forage on a new sourcing app established by Herdwatch.

To help alleviate the burden of the fodder crisis on farms, Herdwatch has created a fodder platform to connect farmers who can help each other out.

The farm management app established a web page where farmers can advertise if they have extra fodder to sell or if they need fodder.

Entitled ‘Fodder Relief Exchange‘, the page allows farmers to put their contact details on lists to buy or sell, listed under counties for proximity searches.

Sellers have to upload their name, their county, the type of fodder they have for sale – such as bales of silage, pit silage, haylage and so on – the quantity they are selling and their phone number.

For those seeking to buy in fodder, the procedure is similar; a farmer uploads their name and phone number to the list.

Herdwatch has announced that if you have fodder to sell, you can simply add or remove your details from the register on the company’s website. The page is updated on a daily basis.

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Shannon Airport has pledged its support to farmers battling the current fodder crisis by offering to repeat its intervention of 2013 when it harvested silage from its 400ac site.

The airport’s operations team will meet with farm representatives over the coming days to explore the need to fast-track cutting of grass on the airport grounds in light of the severe difficulties faced by many farmers due to the prolonged severe winter and spring weather.

No grass inside the airport’s perimeter is due to be cut until later in the summer but, in light of the shortages, it is offering to bring cutting forward to support local farmers.

Airport operations director Niall Maloney commented on the issue, stating: “Farmers were in difficulty back then and, having seen just how important our intervention was, we have been watching the situation closely over the past few weeks and will be making the same offer to farmers’ representatives again when we meet them.

“We are a community airport and were delighted then to do what we could and the farmers were hugely appreciative,” he said.

It was a critical intervention for many local farmers and so well received that other airports followed our lead – and we hope they will do so again this time also.

The operations director said that the situation may not yet be as bad as 2013, but added that he recognised many farmers are in dire circumstances.

“A lot could happen in a week if the weather improves and we get more growth but as of now, many farmers are experiencing major problems,” Maloney said.

“We’ve seen a lot of fodder imported over the past week as a result, [as well as] the introduction of emergency government supports and we are willing to play our part also.”

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Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed today appeared before the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to brief the committee on the fodder crisis, with various suggestions made – including the halting of inspections.

The committee called the meeting during the parliamentary recess to address what is an issue of huge concern for farmers all over the country.

Speaking after the meeting, committee chair Pat Deering said: “The committee has been closely monitoring the ongoing fodder crisis and today’s meeting with the minister was a productive one.

We were pleased to hear that Minister Creed will be meeting with the main banks in order to ensure that farmers can access credit during this time – in which many have been financially stretched by trying to access feed for their livestock.

“The minister also confirmed that the €1.5 million limit on the fodder support scheme would be raised, should it be necessary to continue the support,” Deputy Deering said.

Inspections

“Members raised the issue of inspections and the added pressure that they bring at this time. It was suggested that a case be made for inspections to be waived until the fodder shortage has been resolved.

“Flexibility in relation to credit is also vital and meal vouchers were another subject raised as an option for farmers whose fields are still too waterlogged for grass to grow and who cannot put their animals out to grass yet.”

Deering added that the committee welcomes the assistance measures announced by Minister Creed, including the extension of the closing dates for various schemes and greater operational flexibility for road hauliers engaged in the transport of fodder.

Concern

However, the Oireachtas chair said the committee is concerned that Ireland is currently in the grip of its second fodder crisis in five years.

“Some members accused the minister and his department of a lack of preparedness in tackling the fodder shortage until it had developed into a full-blown crisis,” he said.

“The shortage was caused by inclement weather, something that obviously cannot be controlled – but will undoubtedly raise its head again in the future.

Farming practices must be informed in the future by appropriate climate considerations as the farming sector aims to meet its targets. Equally, however, the department must have contingency plans in place for such crises as this as we deal with longer, wetter winters and extreme weather events.

Deputy Deering noted that, after being in constant contact with Commissioner Hogan, Minister Creed announced welcome news of the commission’s decision to grant derogation on the three-crop diversification requirement for crop 2018.

“This will give farmers flexibility to establish the maximum amount of arable crops, weather permitting,” he said.

Long-term response

“The committee urged the minister to develop a comprehensive, long-term response in order to ensure that farmers are not placed in such a situation again and so that they can be assisted in emerging from the current shortage.

“The committee also plans to invite Teagasc, the co-ops and the banks to appear before us in the future to discuss the fodder crisis and support measures for farmers,” Deering concluded.

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Irish farm organisations have given their reactions to this morning’s meeting (Thursday, April 12) with Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed on the issue of the ongoing fodder crisis.

The meeting took place in Dublin, at Agriculture House.

ICSA

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) president Patrick Kent has said he is disappointed that Minister Creed is not “moving heaven and earth” to introduce a low-interest loan scheme for farmers.

“Cashflow difficulties are crucifying cattle and sheep farmers who have used up all their credit facilities at this point.”

Continuing, Kent said: “The latest advice from Teagasc is to get fertiliser out as soon as possible. However, they are failing to understand the true extent of the precarious position many farmers are in. These are farmers who don’t receive a monthly cheque and, with credit limits already overshot buying in meal, many are unable to secure credit for fertiliser supplies.”

Small and medium sized farming enterprises have an immediate need for working capital.

“ICSA has impressed upon Minister Creed that working capital of up to €10,000 for as many farmers as possible demands urgent consideration if farmers are to have any chance of coming out of this crisis in one piece.”

ICMSA

Meanwhile, the president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Pat McCormack has said that, while progress is seemingly being made on actual availability of fodder, there is disappointment on the decision not to retrospectively include farmers who had sourced fodder between the 50km and 100km limits recently amended by the minister.

“We focused initially on the need for the minister to retrospectively amend the fodder scheme to make it more inclusive; there’s the question of securing the necessary shipping space for the fodder lorries, as well as the obvious need for inspections to be suspended until some degree of farm normality is restored.

“We asked that the low-interest loans be rolled out as quickly as possible,” the president noted, adding that banks should be more flexible with farmers in light of recent conditions.

“There are several issues that we think the minister could – and should – take immediate action on. But the reality is that Irish farming is facing an unprecedented number of problems right now and is going to have to be nursed through what is going to be a very difficult period just up ahead,” McCormack said.

IFA

On a related issue on fodder, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) – following representations made by the organisation – the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has agreed to “adopt a pragmatic approach when reviewing drivers’ hours compliance with driving and resting time periods”, in respect of delivery and collection of animal fodder.

IFA Environment chairman Thomas Cooney said: “The measures have been working well for the last week and are set to continue until April 20.

“However, if this poor weather continues, there is a real probability that the RSA may need to extend this helpful approach.”

This is delaying the spreading of crop nutrients, which will further impact on growth and fodder supplies later in the season, he said.

“Early decisions are also now required from Government regarding slurry spreading deadlines and other such calendar related regulations,” he concluded.

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Flexibility around the terms of the Beef Data Genomics Programme (BDGP) – in recognition of the extreme difficulties posed by the fodder crisis – has been called for by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA).

Commenting on the matter, ICSA suckler chairman John Halley said: “Farmers may inadvertently miss out on BDGP targets, such as the 20% 4-star and 5-star rule, due to having to sell heifers because of fodder scarcity.

“This measure requires farmers to reach a target of having 20% of female stock over 16 months of age achieving 4-star or 5-star ratings on the replacement index on October 31, 2018.”

The suckler chairman noted that, while there is a tolerance of 90%, any farmer who falls below that target “gets an effective penalty of 40%”.

The ICSA believes that where a farmer can show that failure to meet the target is linked to the long, hard winter and fodder crisis, there should be a derogation from the penalty.

“This could have arisen where female stock were sold during the first half of 2018 or where an animal was disposed of at a knackery. In cases where such animals would have made the difference to the targets, then the penalties should be waived,” Halley concluded.

Developments

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue has announced that his party will be bringing forward motions in the Dail and the Seanad calling for the Government to take immediate action to remedy the current fodder crisis.

What was a fodder shortage has become a fodder crisis. Since last September, Fianna Fail has consistently called on the Government to tackle the escalating fodder shortages throughout the country.

“However, as a result of the minister’s failure to acknowledge the emerging issues and engage with farmers, the situation has now become a national emergency, which is putting a huge strain on farmers’ mental health and is creating animal welfare issues.

“This crisis is yet another example of just how out of touch Fine Gael is with rural Ireland,” the Fianna Fail TD claimed.

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It is not too late to introduce a meal voucher scheme for farmers facing fodder shortages, according to Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson, Charlie McConalogue.

Deputy McConalogue was speaking today from the plinth of Leinster House as his party prepares to bring forward motions in the Dail and the Seanad calling for the Government to take immediate action to remedy the current fodder crisis.

He was joined by members of the party’s agriculture and rural team, including: Jackie Cahill TD; Niamh Smyth TD; and senator Paul Daly.

“Unfortunately, the Government has been caught totally cold in relation to the response on this issue,” deputy McConalogue said.

“The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, spent most of the winter denying that there was any problem with a fodder shortage in the country, despite the fact that Fianna Fail and the farming organisations warned him on several occasions that he needed to be prepared and that he needed to acknowledge the fact that there was a difficulty.

“He still has not responded to the very real need for support for farmers at farm level. In particular, we need to see a hardship scheme put in place for the many farmers that are finding it difficult to get by as a result of the financial strain that they are under at the moment.

Fianna Fail – for a number of months now – has been calling for a meal voucher scheme, in order to assist farmers who need support in relation to making the fodder that they have stretch.

“We have – from the commencement of the winter – indicated that a meal voucher scheme, if it had been introduced in proper time, could have ensured that fodder supplies that were in the country could have been stretched and made to last longer,” he said.

Farmers ‘struggling to afford’ feed bills

The minister’s decision not to put such a scheme in place has meant that the crisis is much more acute than it should, or that it otherwise would have been, deputy McConalogue claimed.

Continuing, he added: “It’s still not too late, because farmers at the moment are feeding concentrates and meal – and many of them actually are struggling to afford to do that.

“A meal voucher system – which would assist those who need to do that over the next two or three weeks – would be very important and we believe the minister should still do that.

€1.5 million at the moment has been allocated towards the import of fodder from abroad; we believe that shouldn’t be capped. We believe that a similar figure would actually make a massive difference to those farmers who are struggling.

“A low-interest loan scheme would also be of great assistance to the vast majority in the farming community who are under immense financial pressure at the moment.

“But, for many, a meal voucher scheme is going to be important – because they are struggling to ensure that animals are fed and to meet the financial repercussions of the crisis they find themselves in,” he added.

Meanwhile, as part of the motions being brought forward today, Fianna Fail has also called on the Government to immediately pay outstanding 2017 balancing payments for GLAS and the Sheep Welfare Scheme to ease the cash flow difficulties that farmers are facing.

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Farmers across the country “will cut their cloth to measure” to avoid another crisis, Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson, Charlie McConalogue, said today.

Deputy McConalogue was speaking this morning (Tuesday, April 17) from the plinth of Leinster House, as his party prepares to bring forward motions in the Dail and the Seanad calling for the Government to take immediate action to remedy the current fodder crisis.

Commenting on the matter, he said: “The farming community will respond coming into this year. They will understand that fodder supplies are depleted and I think there will be an effort made to try and ensure that extra fodder is saved to make up for that.

“We have come off a very difficult year and farmers will be hoping for better growth and a better year.

I think, with the warning that’s in place, farmers will cut their cloth to measure as the year progresses and will be prioritising ensuring that there is adequate fodder in place for next winter.

The Donegal TD was joined by members of the party’s agriculture and rural team, including: Jackie Cahill TD; Niamh Smyth TD; and senator Paul Daly.

‘Sailing straight into fodder crisis 2019’

Addressing the media gathered on the plinth, senator Paul Daly said: “I think a major problem at the moment also is that people are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel with good forecasts for the coming weeks; but this is actually the beginning of the fodder crisis 2019, if it is not managed correctly going forward.

“A lot of farmers have used up all of their credit with their merchants in buying extra feed and fodder that they didn’t plan on buying. Now some are not going to be in a position to buy fertiliser to rebuild the stocks of fodder that have been used up during the crisis.

If it is not managed correctly and if we do not sail smoothly out of this fodder crisis, we will be actually sailing straight into crisis 2019.

Avoiding another fodder crisis

Steps must be taken to avoid another fodder crisis, deputy McConalogue argued.

“Given the fact that this is the second year in five that there has been a fodder crisis, we need to ensure that this is the last time that the Government is unprepared for this and that we end up in a situation where fodder needs to imported into the country.

“We need to see a system and a structure put in place, through a standing committee, to actually monitor fodder supplies in the country and to ensure that the Government is prepared to provide the leadership required if such a situation arises again,” he said.

Monitoring fodder supplies

As part of the motions being brought forward by Fianna Fail this week in the Dail and the Seanad, calls have been made for a special standing committee to be established to monitor fodder supplies to ensure a fodder crisis does not emerge again.

It is hoped that the committee would comprise of all stakeholders, including representatives from the: professional organisations; the advisory organisations; the farming organisations; as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Concluding, deputy McConalogue said: “The Government and the minister in particular were in denial at all stages that there was a crisis.

They denied it and said there wasn’t going to be one – and yet we find ourselves standing here with farmers across the country in tremendous difficulty.

“So that needs to be avoided again and we need a situation in future where the Government actually do listen to the warnings,” he said.

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This evening Fianna Fail brought forward a motion in the Dail calling on the Government to take “immediate action” to remedy the current fodder crisis.

During this evening’s sitting of the Dail, Fianna Fail’s motion received plenty of cross-party support from Sinn Fein, Labour, the Green Party and various independent TDs.

Following the debate, it was decided that the motion – along with certain amendments – would be put to a vote on Thursday, April 18.

The extent of the fodder crisis facing farmers across the country was highlighted by opposition TDs from right across the country, who claimed that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, and his department were “asleep at the wheel” and were unprepared for the current fodder crisis.

Commenting on the motion earlier this week, Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson, Charlie McConalogue, said: “What was a fodder shortage has become a fodder crisis.

Since last September, Fianna Fail has consistently called on the Government to tackle the escalating fodder shortages throughout the country.

“However, as a result of the minister’s failure to acknowledge the emerging issues and engage with farmers, the situation has now become a national emergency – which is putting a huge strain on farmers’ mental health and is creating animal welfare issues.

“This crisis is yet another example of just how out of touch Fine Gael is with rural Ireland,” he said.

‘We have acted in appropriate and measured ways’

In response to the motion brought forward by Fianna Fail, Minister Creed said: “I don’t accept the premise of the motion that serves a particular political narrative that I have been slow to react.

“I don’t accept that last September or October that this was a crisis we could envisage for April of this year.

I want to make the point that we have acted in the department at all times in appropriate and measured ways.

“As this story evolved, we had the permission to bring forward payments in the back end of last year at the maximum level.

“We had fodder budgeting advice from Teagasc – which always had meals as a part of it. That was the advice; to stretch the fodder you had through the use of meals.

“We had the transport initiative at the end of January and we had an extension of that and a modification of the terminology to support the import of fodder at a later stage.

“Through all of that we were in constant contact with those co-operatives, Teagasc and farm organisations. So I think – to be fair – we have acted appropriately in what has been a dynamic and evolving situation,” the minister said.

More coverage to follow.

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The suggested €1.5 million budget for Fianna Fail’s proposed ‘hardship fund’ could result in just a €12 top-up per farmer, according to Fine Gael TD Pat Deering.

Deputy Deering was speaking last night in the Dail as a motion – brought forward by Fianna Fail – calling on the Government to take immediate action to remedy the fodder crisis was discussed.

Commenting on the matter, he said: “If €1.5 million will address this issue, I have huge concerns about it.

If you were to look at the number of farmers who applied for a single farm payment last year, there were 120,000 approximately. If they all looked for some money out of that €1.5 million; that is €12, approximately, per farmer that we are going to give to them – is that fair?

“If we only looked at the amount of farmers that availed of the scheme in 2013 – between 18,000 and 20,000 – that will equate to about €83 per farmer.

“So we’ve got to be honest with ourselves; do we want to give farmers a measly amount of €83 or put a structure in place that’s going to deal with this for the future?” he added.

‘Amazing lack of detail’

Meanwhile, the fodder crisis motion was also criticised for its “lack of detail” by Fine Gael TD Peter Burke – an elected representative for the Longford-Westmeath constituency.

Addressing the floor, he said: “This motion is very, very bland; its lack of detail is absolutely amazing.”

He started out by questioning the second line of the motion, which states: “Dail Eireann notes the unique vulnerability and exposure of agriculture to fluctuations in the weather.”

However, the midlands TD argued there has been significantly higher than normal rainfall accumulations experienced in parts of the country during the first three months of 2018 and that soil temperatures have been below the 6º required to encourage grass growth.

Despite this, the motion “firmly places the blame on the Government” and includes “nothing about sustainable solutions”, deputy Burke said.

You asked for hardship funds; there’s detail of medium-sized farms and small farms. But there’s no detail of what the criteria is or no details of costings for it – it’s devoid of any detail.

“What we need is real, sustainable solutions. The minister has clearly shown, number one, that he is prepared to change when change is needed; that was clearly detailed in the fodder transport scheme – he wasn’t afraid to do that.

“Secondly, in terms of the money that he has put behind this problem, fodder is coming into the country; work is being done; the minister is working hard on this.

“When we are putting forward solutions and talking in this house; they have to be credible, they have to be fair and they have to be sustainable,” he said.

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During last night’s debate on the fodder crisis, it was outlined that now is not the time for “playing politics“.

The debate, which lasted for over two hours, featured TDs of various political persuasions from right across the country highlighting their own views on how the situation developed into a national fodder crisis.

A significant proportion of these TDs were heavily critical of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, and how he responded to the situation as it evolved over time.

But, Labour TD Willie Penrose called on the elected representatives of the house to concentrate on adopting constructive policies to alleviate the pressures currently facing farmers trying to deal with a shortage of fodder.

I do not subscribe or participate in the debate pertaining to the lack of fodder in a political way. It is not the hour or time for political grandstanding or sound-biting.

“It is naive in the extreme to start apportioning political blame. All stakeholders must respond.

“The minister and Government clearly are important; but Teagasc, the co-ops, the agricultural merchants, the financial institutions, the major processors and farmers themselves all have a significant role to play.

“So let us stop pontificating for the sake of garnering public notice. It will not create one extra bit of meal or another bale of straw or silage or hay for the hard-pressed farmers,” deputy Penrose.

These sentiments were also shared by Fine Gael TD for Carlow–Kilkenny Pat Deering.

Commenting on the matter, he said: “There is no doubt that this has been a very difficult and harrowing winter and spring; every farmer in the country has experienced a lot of difficulties.

I think it’s a bit unfortunate that – to a certain extent – some political parties tend to play politics with this issue.

“In my opinion, playing politics with this issue will not put one bale of hay, straw or silage into the yard of a farmer; that’s a very important point,” he said.

Following the debate, it was decided that Fianna Fail’s motion on the fodder crisis – with certain amendments – would be put to a vote tomorrow (Thursday, April 19).

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It has been confirmed that silage will be cut, weather permitting, at Shannon Airport’s 400ac site tomorrow morning.

This will take place as part of an intervention aimed at easing the fodder crisis for local farmers.

The airport made the offer to cut the grass when it met with farmers’ representatives last week and it has reportedly been in ongoing conversations since.

A decision was made earlier this week to, weather permitting, press ahead with the grass cutting. In light of tomorrow’s positive forecast, it is set to commence in the morning.

The airport carried out the same intervention in 2013, during the previous severe fodder shortage experienced by farmers. At that time, farmers received 1,600 bales of silage from the airport.

Normally, no grass inside the airport’s perimeter would be cut until later in the summer – but, in light of the shortages, the airport offered to bring cutting forward to support local farmers.

Previously commenting on the intervention, airport operations director Niall Maloney said: “Farmers were in difficulty back then and, having seen just how important our intervention was, we have been watching the situation closely over the past few weeks and will be making the same offer to farmers’ representatives again when we meet them.

We are a community airport and were delighted then to do what we could and the farmers were hugely appreciative.

“It was a critical intervention for many local farmers and so well received that other airports followed our lead – and we hope they will do so again this time also,” he said.

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Some Irish farmers have “significant” improvements to make with regards to grassland management practices, according to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed.

Speaking to AgriLand recently the minister explained that, if more farmers concentrated on improving these techniques, more silage could potentially be harvested this summer.

Minister Creed was responding to calls from other TDs who indicated that Ireland’s Food Wise 2025 targets for agriculture need to be revised in light of the fodder crisis that has faced farmers across the country in recent months.

Commenting on the matter, he said: “I haven’t seen anything that would suggest that this is a long-term, structural challenge. We are dealing with more frequent challenging weather circumstances.

“We have a capacity to grow grass more so than anybody of our competitors, and what we need to do is perhaps assist farmers in ensuring that that feed – which is the cheapest feed they can provide – is harvested in the greatest quantities.

“The difference between the best in terms of grassland management and those that are not participating in any kind of grassland management programme is very significant.

To have more people embrace the advice and technologies that are available could lead to a significant increase in the volumes being harvested. So, there is a job of work to be done there.

“But I don’t think it is – in any way – appropriate to diminish our ambition,” he said.

Interestingly, Fianna Fail’s agriculture spokesperson, Charlie McConalogue, shared similar views to the minister – but he did raise some issues.

Speaking on the plinth of Leinster House recently, he said: “We have seen tremendous growth in the agri-food sector and I think the Food Wise targets should continue to be in place.

“However, I think that the Government and the agri-food sector need to be better prepared for adverse weather situations.

Overall, agri food is the largest sector of our indigenous economy. We have seen it grow from €7 billion in exports to over €12 billion in exports in the last six years – and there is further potential there.

“But it’s important that there is capacity in the system to deal with particular crises,” deputy McConalogue added.

‘We must reconsider that approach’

However, some TDs voiced their concerns that the fodder crisis was worsened due to the “intensification of farming” in terms of Food Wise 2025.

During last week’s debate on the fodder crisis motion brought forward by Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein’s agriculture spokesperson Martin Kenny outlined his concerns.

“Much of the crisis relates to that intensification and the reality that, particularly in the south and east of the country where there is better land, more and more people are going into dairy and there is more and more stock.

We are running into a problem which is putting pressure on the entire system.

“We must reconsider that approach. Food Wise 2025 must be examined because we must accept that sometimes we need to consider changing the model that we use in different places. That must happen reasonably quickly,” he said.

Is it time for an honest discussion?

Meanwhile, during the same exchange in the Dail, Fine Gael TD Pat Deering stated that the long-term issue is the most important point.

Continuing, deputy Deering said: “We have to have an honest discussion with ourselves about where we are. Do we have too many cattle in the country?

“We have to have a detailed review of Food Wise 2025, an industry-led initiative introduced a couple of years ago with which we will increase our exports to €19 billion – which is obviously a very ambitious target.

We will have to review those targets and see if they are achievable going forward.

“[Sustainability] is a key issue. We have to put structures in place to ensure that mistakes from the past are addressed,” he said.

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The fodder transport support measures currently in place have been extended by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.

The minister announced today that he has extended the duration of both the fodder import and the fodder transport support measures for an additional week.

These measures were originally scheduled to conclude on Monday, April 30 – but they will now run until Monday, May 7.

Commenting on the move, Minister Creed said: “While the weather has improved and grass growth continues to improve significantly, there are farmers in some parts of the country who still need to locate fodder for their animals.

Having reviewed the situation and listened to the views of members of the representative fodder group I established in March, I have decided that extending the closing date for the two measures for one further week is appropriate.

Demand for fodder has reduced significantly, the department claims. However, there remains some areas where land is not yet sufficiently dry to graze livestock and there is still a short-term demand for fodder, it added.

Concluding, Minister Creed reaffirmed that “these measures are effectively addressing issues around fodder availability”.

He also chose to remind farmers that the animal welfare emergency assistance continues to operate where animal welfare is seriously at risk via the emergency helpline numbers. People can call: 0761-064408 or phone: 01-6072379.

The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Pat McCormack called for the schemes to be extended on the grounds that the crisis is still ongoing and that the schemes are still required.

McCormack outlined that ground conditions remain very difficult throughout the country and he urged the minister to stand by his assurance that the schemes would be kept operative until the worst of the fodder crisis is past.

He claimed that, at this stage, farmers are far from being “in the clear“. The president maintains that it is crucial that the minister keeps the import scheme in place for another four weeks, with animals still housed in many parts of the country.

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A further extension to the fodder transport support schemes – in light of the continued poor ground conditions in many parts of the country – has been called for by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA).

ICSA Cavan chairman Hugh Farrell said: “Countless farmers have yet to get stock out to grass as the land has yet to dry out sufficiently.

“In Cavan and surrounding counties it could take another two to three weeks of feeding before we’ll be out of the woods.”

However, Farrell argued: “The weather forecast for this week is no better than it was for last week. A bit of an improvement at the weekend will give us a start but it will take a bit of time for the ground to dry out.

“We can’t afford to have cattle out doing too much damage poaching the ground.

It will also take a bit more time before the grass growth kicks in. For something that has been described as a ‘short-term problem’, it’s certainly dragging on.

“Many farmers continue to have the same problems as they’ve had for months now,” the chairman said.

“There is no excuse for not extending these schemes until this crisis has well and truly passed. ICSA believes that an extension until at least the end of May is more than warranted.”

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The ongoing fodder crisis is set to be focused on by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on Tuesday, May 8.

Representatives from Teagasc and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) – as well as Bank of Ireland, AIB, Ulster Bank and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) – are scheduled to appear before the committee.

Commenting on the news, the chair of the committee – Fine Gael TD Pat Deering – said: “In March, the committee called on the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to appear before us to discuss solutions to the fodder shortage that has hit the country since the end of last year.

At that meeting, we urged the minister to develop a comprehensive, long-term response in order to ensure that farmers are not placed in such a situation again and so that they can be assisted in emerging from the current shortage.

“On Tuesday, we will discuss support measures for farmers – with a particular emphasis on what measures can and should be put in place in order to ensure that farmers are appropriately supported should such an event occur again,” deputy Deering said.

As well as this, the committee will discuss the subject of burnt land in the final part of its meeting.

Continuing, the chair of the committee added: “Agricultural and eligible forestry land which is burnt illegally during the closed season – March 1 to August 31 – is not eligible for payment under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and other area-based schemes.

Farmers make the point that excluding burnt land from the BPS places a further burden on the victims of illegal burning.

“There have been calls for the minister to rescind the instruction regarding burnt land and BPS payments. The committee will discuss the complex issues around burnt land at the meeting,” he concluded.

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Moving forward, it is important that we learn some of the lessons from this spring, according to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.

The minister was replying to a recent parliamentary question from independent TD Noel Grealish regarding the fodder crisis.

Deputy Grealish asked the minister whether or not he would reconsider his decision and put a meal voucher scheme in place for farmers struggling to source fodder.

Farmers across the country have experienced significant fodder shortages in recent months and these problems have been escalated due to the difficult weather conditions endured since last September.

Minister Creed outlined that it will be imperative to replenish adequate supplies of fodder for next winter in the coming months.

It is important that we learn some of the lessons from this spring and build resilience into our systems going forward.

“I have asked Teagasc to chair a stakeholder group to coordinate advisory messages to farmers this summer around replenishing stocks that have been used up,” he said.

In response to pressures on fodder supplies “caused by a long wet winter and spring”, the minister outlined that he introduced a Fodder Transport Support measure in January of this year as well as a Fodder Import Support measure in April.

Continuing, he said: “These two interventions – working together effectively – addressed issues around fodder availability in the country.

Grass growth, as confirmed by Teagasc assessments, has continued to improve significantly and livestock are out to graze.

“However, ground conditions were slow to improve in some areas and in a concluding response to remaining fodder difficulties I decided to extend both measures by one week until May 7,” he concluded.

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Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed recently sat down with AgriLand to give an insight into the arduous fodder situation which impacted on the country in recent times.

He reflected over the actions taken by Government to negate the challenge endured by farmers over the past number of months up to recent weeks, and outlined what lessons need to be learned in the aftermath of such a troublesome spring.

Shortage

“We were tracking the situation almost since the ‘Ploughing’ last year. We responded appropriately at the given juncture and we gave advice to farms in terms of the initial fodder transport subsidy in the north-west – and that was extended to other areas and then the support for importing fodder,” the minister said.

The irony of it all was, in the context of the north-west, we had a situation in latter days where there was fodder being transported from the north-west to the south and south-west. So people have to draw their own conclusions from all that.

Minister Creed said that it has been a very difficult six months in farming; it has rained incessantly, which put some farmers under difficulty.

“We have, under the fodder import measure, imported about 18,000t of fodder. And, if you take the overall fodder requirement of the country, that is probably the equivalent of less than a day’s feed for the entire bovine population – so you’ll have to draw your conclusions as well as to whether that constitutes a national fodder crisis.”

Continuing, he said: “We moved; it was difficult for individuals in certain cases, and we assisted in every way we possibly could.

Farmers are still feeling the aftereffects of this and we will be collectively chasing our tails for the year in terms of the requirements to harvest sufficient fodder for the winter ahead.

“Obviously Teagasc will concentrate on advice to farmers and agricultural consultants to help farmers through that period.”

The minister provided a breakdown of the run-up to the support measures, outlining the Department of Agriculture’s reasoning behind its actions.

“We sat down at different stages but, in the context of the decision to import fodder, what we were looking at at that stage was our best available advice – and it’s at best a ‘guesstimate’. But we had Teagasc in the field and we had spoken to co-ops, and we said at that stage we were looking at possibly two weeks’ fodder in the country.

“We took a judgement call then that we had fodder in the country and then we took a call that it probably wasn’t a sufficient comfort zone to be able to say ‘okay, we can ride this out’.

“Although we had fodder in the country, we felt that it was appropriate to import.

I think that was the prudent thing to do, and it worked out, and those that needed it got it.

“But I mean it has been criticised in some quarters as if I said ‘today we have two weeks’ fodder’ and then later that afternoon I said ‘we are going to be importing’ – they are not mutually exclusive statements.

“And the thing that actually surprised me in the course of the subsequent days is the amount of fodder that was unearthed – particularly pit silage around the country rather than bales.

“In fact, I would suspect that we actually had more fodder in the country than we anticipated at that stage – but all that is based on a guesstimate because there is no log kept.”

Timeline of events

When asked in hindsight if he stood by the timeline of events, Minister Creed was very clear: “If we had said to Glanbia or Dairygold on St. Patrick’s Day ‘go and import’ they simply wouldn’t have done it.

And I think everybody recognises that we moved at the appropriate time. I stand over the timeline 100%.

Continuing, the minister added: “I mean, the impression is being created in some quarters that we should have been importing fodder earlier; that this was foreseeable last October.

We would be hauled – and rightly so – before public accounts and everywhere else if we had started importing last October and we got a decent spring.

“We’ve had experience in this department of dealing with that before on previous occasions, because it was the right thing to do at the right time in 2013.

On the issue in 2013, Minister Creed said: “In fact, the import of fodder started earlier; it was around the end of April and it continued right through the month of May. We started earlier and we’ve stopped now.”

Fodder concerns for next year?

When broached on concerns already over an incoming fodder shortage for next year, the minister said: “What has happened in this long winter is we have practically used up all reserves – so the challenge now is to make silage at every possible opportunity.”

“I think every opportunity needs to be availed of now to maximise silage making in particular.”

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This year’s Balmoral Show (May 11-14) takes place against the backdrop of real change impacting every sector of agriculture in Northern Ireland.

And perhaps the most significant of these is the fast growing disparity between the support levels available to agriculture on both parts of this island.

The most obvious difference, in this regard, centres on the fact that a fully functional government continues to operate in Dublin.

Meanwhile, in Belfast, it could take months for the various political parties to agree a cohesive future for the Stormont Executive.

It is also evident at this stage that the Dublin government is willing to take on board the needs of farmers when the going gets tough.

Discussions at Balmoral Show

The recent announcement of a silage scheme at least recognises the fact that Irish farmers are currently under the cosh when it comes to buying fertiliser and committing to make sufficient silage for the months ahead.

The Tillage Incentive Scheme was another measure introduced by the Dublin government in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine and will probably be the topic of conversation amongst some at the Balmoral Show

And did politicians in Northern Ireland respond in kind?

Of course, they didn’t! The £300 million sent across from Westminster to Belfast to help the local economy deal with the current cost-of-living crisis remains frozen in a Stormont bank account, all because political leaders couldn’t get on with each other.

For the record, £70 million of this money should be coming to farmers by way of a much needed support measure for the industry. This amounts to almost 25% of the single payment budget paid out in the north each year.

Two months ago, the leadership of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) held a protest rally at Stormont to sort out the then threat of a potentially damaging climate change bill.

Methinks, if I was the new UFU president, David Brown, I would be bringing the troops back up to Stormont in double quick time, demanding the immediate release of the aforementioned £70 million.

Future food security

Looking to the future, there is every indication that Brussels has, at last, taken the issue of future food security seriously. This reality is fast being reflected in the outworking of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

In addition, Brussels has also recognised the virtue of individual member state governments having more flexibility in terms of the way they interact with their national farming industries.

There is little doubt that the Irish government will take full advantage of this evolving scenario.

Contrast this with the situation in the UK where the issue of national food security no longer registers at all within political circles.

The current Conservative government in London is hell bent on signing free trade deals with a selection of the world’s farming and food superpowers.

Securing cheap food from anywhere is now the mantra that drives the thinking of Westminster policy makers in my opinion – irrespective of what happens to the farmers on their own doorsteps.

It’s a scenario that may well have very direct consequences for the future evolution of farming policies in Northern Ireland.

Significant distortions in the farm support measures available to farmers across the island of Ireland have very negative consequences, for lots of reasons.

So, it will be interesting to see how Stormont’s politicians react to this challenge as they ‘try’ to plan a future for the north’s farming sectors in a post-election, post-Brexit world.

The post Opinion: What might farmers be chatting about at the Balmoral Show? appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has called for a scheme that will incentivise tillage farmers to grow catch crops after this year’s harvest.

The farming organisation has proposed an incentive of €250/ha for tillage farmers who grow a temporary crop of short rotation grass for fodder production over the winter months, and a €200/ha payment for those who grow catch crops.

Within the proposal, the ICSA suggests that these payments would be capped at 50ha for each crop.

The chair of the ICSA tillage committee Gavin Carberry, referred to a similar scheme which ran in 2018 whereby farmers were urged to produce additional feed throughout the autumn months.

“It is vital that we start preparing now for the winter ahead and given the concerns around the cost and availability of meal, such an incentive would encourage tillage farmers to actively engage in the fodder market,” said Carberry.

Carberry also outlined that an initiative such as this could provide additional fodder for the livestock sector when supplies and availability of winter feed are so uncertain.

“We need to actively encourage more partnerships between the tillage and livestock sectors,” Carberry said.

“Tillage farmers can partner up with either drystock or dairy farmers to provide fast growing forage like Westerwolds or Italian ryegrass, as well as catch crops such as fodder rape and stubble turnips – all of which would be invaluable to livestock farmers come the winter.”

Under such a partnership, according to Carberry, both sides would win. Livestock farmers would benefit from an opportunity to plan for winter feeding with the knowledge that feed supplies will be available at a reasonable cost. Meanwhile, tillage farmers would maximise production and will receive payment for this.

The sooner a scheme such as this is announced, the better said Carberry, as merchants will need time to ensure seed availability for the farmers that will take part.

“Potentially we are staring at a massive fodder crisis later in the year, the impact of which would be catastrophic. It is clear the various farming sectors must work in tandem if we are to meet the challenges ahead.

“A practical solution like this gives us the best chance to cope with all the uncertainty around, and to prepare for further instability in global feed and fuel markets,” Carberry continued.

He concluded by adding that if such a scheme was to be delivered, it would be essential that flexibility is afforded to GLAS participants to maximise the potential of the programme.

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