Bad Weather Causes Winter Fodder Sacarcity Threat
IRELAND - IFA President John Bryan said farmers will need to see a significant improvement in weather conditions in the next week if serious problems with winter fodder are to be avoided later in the year.
3 July 2012
1 minute read
“As it is, the very challenging conditions of recent weeks have led to increased costs for farmers and caused major difficulties with silage harvesting. We estimate that half the crop has not been saved, which is a very unusual situation for farmers at the beginning of July. This delay could have very serious implications for next winter, as adequate feed supplies will be critical for the expanding national herd,” said Mr Bryan.
Mr Bryan said stock has had to be re-housed in some parts of the country, extra feed has had to be used and production levels are back. Adverse weather conditions will have a negative impact on farm incomes. “Bad weather inevitably means higher costs, at a time when inputs are already rising in price.”
The tillage and horticulture sectors are also under pressure because of the high levels of rainfall and humidity, at what is a crucial stage in crop development.
The IFA President re-iterated his call to the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to give a firm commitment that he will secure an advance of 50% on the Single Farm Payment for the middle of October, and ensure the full payout of Disadvantaged Area payments in September. “The Minister has an opportunity to improve cashflow for farm families, and provide some certainty in meeting credit deadlines,” he said.
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