The production of the thee main cereals in Ireland – wheat, barley and oats – decreased by more than one fifth (20.9%) last year according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The production of these cereals decreased by 531,300t to 2,015,700t. Production of wheat fell by 199,200t (-27.7%), barley by 282,200t (-17.8%) and oats by 49,900t (-20.6%).
Wheat, barley and oats yield dropped by 1.4t/ha (-12.8%), 1.3t/ha (-16.1%) and 1.5t/ha (-17.9%) respectively.
Bucking the trend however was beans and peas production which rose from 65,700t to 81,300t in 2023 (+23.8%).
Oilseed rape production was also up, by 19,500t to 97,300t in 2023 (+25.1%).
Potato yield decreased from 43.4t/ha to 39.2t/ha in 2023 (-9.5%). Production of potatoes was down by 45,800t (-12.4%) to 322,200t in 2023.
Commenting on the latest statistics, Sophie Emerson, statistician in Agriculture Surveys with the CSO, said: “Overall, there was a decrease in the production of Cereals in 2023 compared to 2022.
“The combined decrease in production across Wheat, Oats and Barley was 531,300 tonnes (-20.9%).
“The production of beans and peas rose from 65,700t to 81,300t in 2023 (+23.8%) driven by an increase in the area sown of 5,400ha (+50%) and despite a reduction in the yield from 6.1t/ha to 5t/ha (-17.5%).
“The production of potatoes dropped from 368,000t in 2022 to 322,200t in 2023 (-12.4%), based on a 3.3% reduction in the area sown and a 9.5% fall in the yield per hectare,” she added.
Area under crops
The figures for 2023 show that the area under cereals dropped by 16,300ha (-5.7%) to 269,400ha when compared with 2022, with the largest decrease observed for winter barley down by 20,800ha (-28.2%).
The area under cereals decreased in 2023 despite an increase of 16,900ha for spring barley (+14.5%) and an increase of 4,200ha for spring oats (+32.1%).
The area under potatoes fell by 300ha (-3.3%) to 8,200ha in comparison with 2022.
The area under beans and peas rose by 5,400ha to 16,200ha (+50%) in 2023. The oilseed rape area was also up from 15,800ha in 2022 to 21,600ha in 2023 (+36.9%).
Yields and cereal production
There was a decrease in yield across all referenced crops in 2023 with the exception of winter barley which remained the same at 8.7t/ha, according to the CSO.
Cereal yield fell by 1.4t/ha to 7.5t/ha (-16.1%) with spring barley showing the greatest drop in yield from 8.1t/ha to 6.3t/ha (-22.2%).
There was a decrease in production across the three main cereals in 2023 with the exception of spring oats which rose by 10,200t to 112,500t (+9.9%).
The greatest drop in production was seen for winter barley which fell by 180,900t to 458,900t when compared with 2022 (-28.3%).
The rise in beans and peas production of 15,600t (+23.8%) and oilseed rape production of 19,500t (+25.1%) was due to an increase in area sown in 2023.
Potato production was down from 368,000t in 2022 to 322,200t in 2023 (-12.4%).
Tillage farmers faced ‘perfect storm’
Reacting to the data from the CSO, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president, Francie Gorman said the main cereal crops falling by 20% last year is further evidence of the pressures on the sector.
“It further highlights the urgency of the Tillage Survival Scheme put forward by IFA. We raised this again with Taoiseach Simon Harris on a tillage farm in Kilkenny last week
“No time can be lost in putting together a support package that provides some hope for the sector,” he added.
“Tillage farmers have faced a perfect storm since summer 2023, with falling grain prices; input costs remaining high; loss of rented land; and heavy rainfall in the period since.”
Gorman stressed that the tillage sector is “fighting for its very future” adding that the minister’s recent announcement of a package for crops sown for the 2024 harvest was “inadequate“.
The IFA has proposed in its Tillage Survival Scheme a €250/ha, five-year payment for tillage farmers.