Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president, David Brown, has confirmed that the recent spell of very poor weather is taking its toll on farms across Northern Ireland.
“Many dairy and suckler farmers have rehoused cows over recent days. This is either on a full-time basis or at nighttime only,” he said.
“Taking such an approach is adding to the cost incurred by farmers. Feeding round bales of silage, as opposed to offering cattle fresh grass, is a much more expensive option.”
The Co. Fermanagh farmer went on to point out that ground of his own was deluged by 70mm of rain at the tail end of last week.
“We had managed to get silage cut from half the fields before the rain came. But, in all honesty, I don’t know when I will be able to get back out onto that land again,” he told Agriland.
Producer prices in Northern Ireland
Addressing the challenge of free-falling producer prices will be a priority for the UFU president over the coming weeks and months.
“Dairy and beef prices have taken a real hit since the turn of the year,” he said.
“Farmers want to know when markets will turn around.”
David Brown acknowledged that the vast bulk of the food produced in Northern Ireland is destined for export.
“International markets are key factors when it comes to determining prices at the farmgate,” he said.
“But we are now seeing input prices starting to strengthen again, fertiliser being a case in point.
“The bottom line in all of this is that farm businesses must be allowed to generate a sustainable margin.”
The UFU is particularly concerned that the gap between the price dairy farmers are receiving and the breakeven cost for producing milk in Northern Ireland is widening.
Analysis confirms that Northern Ireland’s milk price is lagging behind most EU member states.
And the gap is widest, relative to the returns currently available in Great Britain. The figure here can be as much as 5p/L.
As a consequence, the UFU is urging dairy companies to take note of this differential and pay the most competitive price to farmers.
On a more positive note, the union has welcomed the recent announcement by the UK government that it intends to bring forward new contractual regulations to increase fairness and transparency in the dairy supply chain.
Once the new contractual regulations are published, the UFU said it will study them in detail to ensure that this important legislation delivers for all dairy farmers in Northern Ireland.