The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) has voiced concern over the level of workload facing agricultural contractors.
Michael Moroney, research director with the FCI, said that due to the current weather conditions a lot of contractors are currently zero grazing silage ground which they would not have done in the past.
He told a recent meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) that slurry spreading has “come to a halt” in many places as farmers do not want slurry spread on silage ground.
“Up to now they’ve [contractors] been spreading small amounts of slurry like three to five loads per farm just in the driest fields.
“So that means for them they have to come back a number of times onto the farm and repeated agitation and there’s huge additional costs associated with that,” he said.
Contractors
Teagasc has advised farmers unable to graze heavy covers on silage ground to apply a small amount of nitrogen (N) and cut in early May, if possible.
However, Michael Moroney voiced concern to the committee about the associated workload for contractors.
“The thought among a lot of contractors is who’s going to do it? Who will be available to do it because there’s going to be so much work that has to be put into a short period between now and then.
“That’s going to be very difficult and put huge pressure on contractors.
“The second part of that pressure will be that everybody will want slurry spread the following day. So how is that going to be done? That’s an issue that has to be looked at as well,” he said.
Moroney said the increase in excise duty on fuel will add €40 million in additional costs for contractors as silage season looms which is “difficult to pass on”.
He said that many contractors are “considering their future” because of the impact of the weather, high machinery and operating costs
Moroney said that very few contractors have done any ploughing for spring tillage crops.
“They’ve lost a lot of income and revenue because winter cereals are back and very little topdressing has been done so far at this stage,” he said.
Contractors in the south and southeast have reported that only 10% of the spring cereal crops have been sown.
When it comes to potatoes, less than 10% of the early crops have been sown to date in Co. Wexford. There has also been an issue with destoning fields which will have an impact at harvesting.
Moroney added that hedge management has been impacted on many farms due to weather conditions with less than half of hedges in fields being trimmed which is causing issues with electric fences unearthing.
Under the Wildlife Act, the cutting, grubbing, burning or other destruction of “vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch” is illegal between March 1 and August 31.
The FCI said that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has not offered any leniency around cutting of these hedges in the closed period.
“We feel this is not appropriate at the moment,” Moroney said.