With a high demand for fodder right across the county, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Kerry livestock chair, Kieran O’Shea said that prices are increasing and “putting farmers under savage financial pressure”.
O’Shea said that he heard one farmer from Middleton, Co. Cork had bought 100 bales of silage from Valentia Island for €70 a bale, including delivery.
He also heard from a farmer in Dingle, Co. Kerry that was being charged €150 for 8X4X4 bales of oaten straw and €170 for barley straw.
O’Shea said the costs will have “a knock on effect down the road”, during what is “already a very difficult year.
The Kerry livestock chair added that he has also heard reports of farmers buying “low quality” fodder, and having to use it within two or three days of buying, before it begins to spoil.
One buyer and seller of straw from Co. Cork told Agriland that farmers are “mainly” impacted by the low availability of straw.
He said that farmers are importing from England, but that there is also availability issues there now.
O’Shea said that in his area of Beaufort, Co. Kerry, animals would usually be grazing by the beginning of March or definitely by St. Patrick’s Day, but that this year there was “no chance” of that happening.
He said most farmers in the country understand the situation and “would not over charge each other”, but that the general costs of making fodder have also increased.
Prices of cutting, turning, raking, baling and wrapping, along with prices of putting additives on the bales have increased “significantly” in the last year, according to O’Shea, which he said works out at about €40 a bale to make.
Buying fodder
There seems to be some community spirit among farmers, according to IFA livestock vice chair, Michael Haverty, who said most prices he has heard have been “very fair”.
Haverty said he think farmers are being “sympathetic” with each other.
Any prices he has seen have been for bales around €30, which he said was “very generous” and that farmers selling are probably not making that much of a profit.
“I think farmers are thinking about how they could be stuck for fodder at another time and need a neighbour’s help,” Haverty said.
He advised farmers having to buy in fodder to try and purchase locally and off somebody they know.
Haverty also advised farmers to open up the bale before exchanging money to check the quality.
“If the seller has nothing to hide then they shouldn’t have a problem with it,” Haverty said.
He added that looking ahead at weather conditions, and assuming they do improve slightly, that realistically most farmers would still be looking at having about a minimum of three weeks left of fodder.
Met Éireann said that it will be wetter than average across the country over the coming week, with rainfall amounts generally ranging between 1.2 and 2.7 times the normal for this time of year.