“The biggest relief is that the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) stays the same – that’s the main point for me as a tillage farmer”.
That’s the view of the chair of the Irish Grain Growers Group (IGGG), Bobby Miller following the last few weeks of uncertainty.
According to Miller the initial announcement last month by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue that he intended to seek a deferral of the 2024 SIM from the European Commission was like a “bombshell” to tillage farmers.
Miller said the fact that SIM has been re-instated in full was the right decision and he believes that the new baling assistance measure gives tillage farmers the flexibility they need when managing the straw produced on Irish farms over the coming weeks.
Speaking to Agriland from his farm in Co. Laois, he said cereal growers were never in any doubt about the role played by straw as a fodder source on Irish farms.
Straw
Miller added: “In my own case, I have a number of regular customers with whom I have been dealing with for many years and there was never an issue of me not meeting their needs this year. And this has always been the case.
“In fact, given all the madness of last year, I still made sure that straw of good quality was found to meet their needs.
“And I know of so many other cereal growers, who uphold these same principles.”
He sees the new Baling Assistance Payments Scheme (BAPS) as a fair compromise in light of Minister McConalogue’s initial decision.
“I have never known a decision taken by an agriculture minister to be met with such resistance at farm level.
“Minister McConalogue’s initial announcement had to be reversed. Thankfully, a solution has been arrived at, which makes sense from all points of view,” he added.
Harvest 2024
The past few days have seen tillage farmers across the country getting on with harvest 2024 in earnest.
The IGGG chair said: “Winter barley yields are nothing to write home about. I sense that Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus has had a significant impact on many crops.
“Winter oat crops are yielding reasonably well and grain quality is good. The winter oilseed rape harvest is also underway in parts of the country.
“But it’s too early yet to talk about yields.”
Miller believes there is now a “fundamental requirement for the entire farming and food industry to recognise the role played by tillage”.
“Adding value to our gains will be the driver that underpins all of this. Irish grain is not a commodity product and this fundamental reality must be recognised and appropriate prices paid to cereal growers,” he outlined.
The IGGG chair has also pointed to the extremely low carbon footprint associated with Irish cereals as a case in point.
“The barley, oats and rape that I am a harvesting at the present time have a zero carbon footprint.
“This reality puts the Irish tillage sector well ahead of the curve in terms of the climate change targets set by the Irish government.
“And, again, this fact must be realised in terms of the prices paid for Irish grains,” he urged.
According to Miller the “need” to expand the area dedicated to tillage in Ireland should be obvious.
However he also warned that ultimately it will all come back “to the fundamental reality of securing sustainable prices for Irish grains”.
“This will require home-grown cereals to be specifically marketed and recognised accordingly by all customers,” Miller said.