The National Fodder and Feed Security Committee (NFFSC) has heard calls for a derogation for hauliers to transport feed and fertiliser to farms.
John Coleman Irish Grain and Feed Association (IGFA) said that feed mills are reporting lead times of four to five days for feed due to “huge demand” from farmers as poor weather has resulted in animals being housed for longer.
Coleman told a recent meeting of the committee that transport is a big issue and is limiting deliveries for farmers.
“There were derogations in the past for drivers’ hours and we would request that a proposal will be put forward to bring that about again just so feed can be brought out onto farms,” he said.
Coleman said that there seems to be “very little” fertiliser in merchants yards and also on farms, which he said would also pose an issue for transport when weather conditions improve.
Fertiliser
Liam Dunphy, managing director of Gouldings, also anticipated an increase in demand from farmers for fertiliser once ground conditions improve.
“We’re currently in a situation in Ireland where roughly 25% of the annual fertiliser has gone out of the importers’ yards on March 31.
“Normally that percentage is in the region of 55-60%, in other words that percentage of fertiliser needs to get out there to make the wheels turn in April and May to get the silage grown, to get the barley fertilised.
“We’re a long, long way behind that. If we’re going to achieve what we’re trying to achieve here as a committee, we’re going to need to do something with the hauliers and give them some bit of a break,” he said.
Dunphy estimated that the country needs to move around 1,000 lorry loads of fertiliser per day for every single day of April.
Although fertiliser prices have reduced, he believes there is “a lot of confusion out there at farm level about what farmers are actually allowed to use”.
Dunphy said that feedback from merchants and co-ops is that farmers are “afraid” of the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) limits and are not buying what they normally buy in terms of fertiliser.
“We have the scope to use more nationally, we’re not using it. The message needs to probably free up a bit that farmers are allowed to use more than they’re actually using on a national basis.
“There tends to be a perception there that we can’t use it almost, and the reality is if we probably used our national allowance last year we may not be in the situation with silage stocks that we are,” he said.
Michael O’Donovan, head of grassland science at Teagasc, told the meeting that 70% of farms had no nitrogen spread, with the remaining 30%.
Derogation
Louise Byrne, deputy chief inspector with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that a derogation for haulage drivers’ hours would be an issue for the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
“Nevertheless, if there is a business case to be made and it would appear that there are some metrics in relation to the amount of fertiliser that hasn’t left either the merchants yards or the importers yards.
“There were also some concerns in relation to contractors in relation to derogation hours,” she said.
She asked the industry to submit a business case to the Department of Transport which DAFM may be asked for an opinion on.