Defining what is actually constituted by a winter cereal is an issue that Irish cereal growers may well be facing up to in the very near future.
It is now clear that the spring months of 2024 could turn out to be far from straightforward for Irish tillage farmers.
For once, the weather will not be a factor in the decision-making processes entailed.
The myriad options that look set to confront cereal growers in early 2024, was set out by Teagasc tillage advisor, Conor O’Callaghan, at a recent Irish Grain Growers Group (IGGG) farmer meeting in Ashbourne, Co. Meath.
He confirmed that many of the issues that are set to arise can be traced back to the atrocious weather of 2023.
According to O’Callaghan, there will not be enough home produced, certified spring barley seed to meet Irish demand next year.
“It then becomes a case of looking at the option of seed imports,” he said.
“The reality is that countries like the UK, Denmark and Germany, where barley seed of a known variety would traditionally be sourced, do not have enough supply to meet their own needs.
“This means going further afield, all of which will come with a significant price tag,” he said.
So what about the option of sowing winter barley and wheat varieties – of which there are plentiful stocks in Ireland right now – during January and February next?
The kicker here is that such varieties will then be officially recognised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), as spring cropping options.
“Planting date determines the classification of a crop – not the actual variety used. So, all of this will have major implications for the two and three crop rules,” O’Callaghan added.
Fertiliser
“There are also significant limitations placed on the fertiliser quantities that can be used on spring crops vis–a-vis autumn/winter cropping options.
“So, we could have examples moving forward of bone fide winter cereal varieties sown out in early 2024 but not receiving the full fertiliser allocations, which they are genetically programmes to receive,” he continued.
The Teagasc representative went on to point out that growers run a high risk of DAFM penalties if they try to claim winter wheat or barley crops that are planted out next January and February, as having been established the previous autumn.
“Drones are constantly monitoring Irish farmland. So, it could well turn that Department of Agriculture officials have video footage of fields that are in stubble now, which are subsequently planted out during early 2024,” he said.
All of these points were noted by the IGGG officials in attendance, with a commitment given to have these issues raised with the Department of Agriculture as a matter of priority.