tonnes. Lastly, production of coarse sheep mixes or blends grew by 100 tonnes or 16.7 per cent from the previous September as it rose to 700 tonnes. At 6,300 tonnes, total other feed dropped slightly below year


previous levels by 200 tonnes or 3.1 per cent. The current total was, however, large enough to better the 10 year average for September by a significant 1,000 tonnes or 17.2 per cent. Whilst Northern Irish feed production for September may have bettered that of a year previously and indeed risen to historically high levels, only the ruminant sectors of cattle and calf feed production and sheep feed production advanced beyond their outputs of 2019. Even so, sheep feed production was not at the levels of its long term average. Poultry feed also fell below its average production for the decade as it continued its recent run of lower output and while production has been at record levels in recent years, the current total was at the lowest levels for seven years. It will be interesting to see whether this trend continues into the final quarter of 2020.


Third Quarter Overview Total production of compounds, blends and concentrates, including integrated poultry units, during the third quarter of 2020 in Northern Ireland rose by 11,900 tonnes or 2.2 per cent to 561,600 tonnes, the second highest total for the period since records were kept in their current form, falling behind only the remarkable returns of 2018. The 10 year average for the period under review was significantly bettered by 40,300 tonnes or 7.4 per cent. Total feed production during the third quarter of 2020 was made up


of: 49.3 per cent cattle and calf feed, 35.8 per cent poultry feed, 10.1 per cent pig feed, 1.5 per cent sheep feed and 3.2 per cent other feed. Total cattle and calf feed surpassed year earlier levels by 25,200


tonnes or 10.0 per cent rising to 276,600 tonnes of production, the second highest on record, behind only the output of 2018. The 10 year average for the third quarter was also bettered, yet by a less sizeable but still impressive 21,300 tonnes or 8.0 per cent. Aside from protein concentrates for cattle and calves, which


remained at roughly 200 tonnes, calf milk substitutes, which remained at under 100 tonnes and dairy coarse mixes or blends which fell by 600 tonnes or 1.4 per cent to 41,300 tonnes, all cattle and calf feed sectors increased beyond their year earlier totals. The largest tonnage


growth occurred in dairy cow compounds where production rose by a considerable 14,300 tonnes or 11.4 per cent to 140,200 tonnes, the highest ever achieved within the third quarter. Beef coarse mixes or blends also increased significantly from a year previously, up by 6,500 tonnes or 15.8 per cent to 47,200 tonnes, although this was only the fifth highest total of the last 10 years. Finally, beef cattle compounds and other calf compounds increased by 3,330 tonnes or 12.0 per cent and by 1,400 tonnes or 9.8 per cent to reach 30,800 tonnes and 15,700 tonnes respectively. At 57,000 tonnes, total third quarter pig feed had fallen by 4,300


tonnes or 7.0 per cent from the total amassed from the corresponding period of 2019. Despite this fall, 2020’s production was significantly ahead of the 10 year average for the quarter, which it bettered by 7,200 tonnes or 13.5 per cent. Regardless of the markedly large overall drop in its overall Q3


production, two out of five pig feed sectors surpassed their totals for the corresponding period a year earlier, albeit by relatively small amounts. Pig growing feed did so by 300 tonnes or 2.5 per cent to 12,300 tonnea and pig finishing feed did so by 100 tonnes or 0.4 per cent to 23.500 tonnes. In contrast, pig breeding feed fell to its lowest production in 7 years as output declined by 700 tonnes or 8.2 per cent to 7,800 tonnes. There were also sizeable decreases across both pig starter and creep feeds, which fell to 5,800 tonnes, a drop of 1,900 tonnes or 24.7 per cent, and pig link and early grower feed, which fell by 2,100 tonnes or 21.9 per cent to 7,500 tonnes. For the second year in succession, third quarter total poultry feed


fell below year previous levels. The output of 201,300 tonnes was 9,800 tonnes or 4.6 per cent down on 2019’s production; nevertheless, this was still the third highest total for the period since records were kept in their current form. Furthermore, the total under review surpassed the decade long average for the timeframe by 9,000 tonnes or 4.6 per cent. In spite of the lower production displayed by the sector as a whole,


there was only one poultry feed division that failed to better its year earlier outputs. This was layer and breeder feed, whose considerable fall in production of 11,700 tonnes or 14.2 per cent, to 71,000 tonnes, was enough to offset the admittedly modest increases made across the remainder of the sector. Proportionately, chick rearing feed rose by the greatest amount, rising by 10.2 per cent or 600 tonnes to 6,500 tonnes of output. Broiler feed production grew by just under one per cent or by 1,100 tonnes to 111,600 tonnes whilst turkey and other poultry feed rose by 200 tonnes or 1.7 per cent to 12,100 tonnes. Despite bettering its year previous total for the quarter by a


remarkable 1,500 tonnes or 21.1 per cent, the 8,600 tonnes of sheep feed produced in Q3 was not great enough to better the 10 year average for the period which, 2020’s total fell 400 tonnes or 4.6 per cent below.


Production of breeding sheep compounds had almost halved


from a year earlier, the 700 tonnes of output was 46.2 per cent down on 2019 returns and its second lowest third quarter total this decade. In contrast, output of growing and finishing sheep compounds almost


PAGE 8 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 FEED COMPOUNDER


Comment section is sponsored by Compound Feed Engineering Ltd www.cfegroup.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72