The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) is calling for the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) to meet again this Friday (April 5).
Denis Drennan’s comments come as weather forecasts show unsettled conditions continuing for the weekend and into next week.
He said that some farmers are in a very difficult position in terms of fodder stocks as poor ground conditions mean that animals continue to be housed.
“It is important that the government and stakeholders prepare – or at least look at ‘worst case’ scenarios – instead of ‘crossing your fingers’ and hoping that the weather improves and gives better prospects,” he said.
Fodder
The ICMSA president said that while they do not want to panic farmers, it is important “to guard against the kind of complacency that actually could cause problems”.
“Farmers will have got the latest weather forecasts increasing their concerns; cows still can’t be turned out, fertiliser cannot be spread and we’re already getting worries about adequate fodder for next winter what kind of quality that will be.
“Against that kind of background, ICMSA thinks it’s prudent and smart to just meet again and ‘see where we all are’.
“We’d like an update and we’d like the committee to just take stock of the latest forecasts and estimations of fodder stocks so that we can all update our plans and hear what kind of supports the minister [for agriculture] intends offering.
“If the officials arrive insisting that there’s no money, – as they did last week – then ICMSA will want to hear in detail what funding sources they’ve looked at and who was approached,” Drennan said.
During an online meeting of the NFFSC last Friday (March 29), the committee heard that there are currently silage stocks in the country but that farmers in some areas are experiencing shortages.
While noting that some farmers are facing difficulties, Louise Byrne, deputy chief inspector with DAFM, said that there is an “availability of fodder” in the country.
She said that there is “no money for subsidising feed purchases or for having a fodder support scheme for 2024”.
Teagasc said half of 784 drystock farmers who responded to a fodder survey said that they would run out of silage in the next three weeks, with 29% of those having silage stocks of between 0-10 days.
35% (217) of farmers said that they were currently buying silage and 44% of those reported that bales were costing €30-40 each.