NIGTA also pointed out that maize is enjoying a stronger trade,
gaining around £20 per tonne and with Ukraine serving as the only competitive supplier until the Brazilians return to the game. “The South Americans have a new friend, however, as China has
had to find alternatives to the USA as a source of feed materials,” said the spokesperson. “China is also a bigger buyer of meat and animal proteins to fill the gap left by the decimation of their national pig herd. “The increased interest in Brazilian beef is creating a demand for
maize from the local feedlots, which could reduce the tonnage for export,” the spokesperson continued. “Maize stocks are still strong in the USA, but the material offered for export is of poor quality and, with issues around genetic modification, it is not attractive to European buyers.” The spokesperson also noted that barley remains the poor relation
following a big harvest last year — “but it, too, has benefited from the rising tide of grain prices, gaining around £15 per tonne in recent weeks.”
Edmond Phelan, president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’
Association (ICSA), has said that Ireland’s Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, must remain resolute in his opposition to any proposed cut in the CAP budget. “It is unconscionable that CAP should be in the firing line for cuts
under the terms of the new EU budget for 2021–2027,” said Phelan. “The very future of Irish farming is at stake, and any influence we have at EU-level must be leveraged in order to put any talk of a cut to the CAP budget to bed.” Varadkar has recently said that, while Ireland is prepared to
increase its net contribution to the overall EU budget, he will not accept significant cuts to CAP. “We cannot continue to expect our farmers to do more with less and
less,” Phelan said. “It is right for the EU budget to be ambitious, but those ambitions must be realistic and must not lose sight of the importance of securing sustainable food production systems and maintaining rural economies. Margins are being squeezed in all sectors, but particularly so in beef and sheep, and any cut to CAP would put countless numbers of farmers out of business. “At the very minimum, the CAP budget needs to maintained at its
current level so that farmers can remain in business and continue to produce high-quality food while being expected to do more on climate change,” Phelan concluded.
In my opinion: Richard Halleron NORTHERN IRELAND’S NEW FARM MINISTER DESERVES A “FAIR WIND” Edwin Poots, MLA, is Northern Ireland’s new farm minister. He says he wants to get a fair deal for farmers in recognition of the long hours
and sometimes brutally hard work they put in. And I wish him the best of luck with this endeavour. Specifically, he is committed to securing realistic farmgate prices
and a support system that recognises the primary producer — not the landowner. Again, all of this is good. However, I think the clock is against him when it comes to the
thorny issue of getting real and strategic change secured during his current term of office. As we speak, he has two years to make a real impact, after
which it will be “election time” once again. And who knows what might happen after that? Two years is a very short time in politics. Where Edwin Poots is
concerned, the first year will see the automatic rollover of the current support arrangements. The coming months may well see London confirm that Northern Ireland has total autonomy when it comes to settling the farm support and strategies that will come into play post- Brexit. But even if this does come to pass, it is highly likely that the various
farm and environmental stakeholder groups will fight tooth and nail to get the policies they want implemented on the ground. That’s a lot of tough talking, whichever way you look at it! Once Mr. Poots gets into the second year of his term, he will
probably find himself — and the other members of his political party — in election mode. This may well mean that very little legislation of note will be passed during this period. One of the very positive implications that relates to Edwin Poots’
appointment is the fact that he has a very strong farming background. He understands production agriculture, and this fact has been reflected in many of the points he has made publicly over the past few weeks. As the new minister will readily admit, Poots takes over his new
brief at a pivotal time. The challenge of Brexit alone will keep his “in” tray more than full over the coming months. Quite rightly, he has put the issue of environmental stewardship
at the top of his agenda. He wants to see the farming sector reduce its carbon footprint while, at the same time, minimising its ammonia emission levels. Significantly, he also espouses the principle of “sustainable intensification.” In other words, he believes that we can expand our livestock and other sectors in an environmentally friendly manner. All of this constitutes a very significant body of work on the part
of the minister. It behoves everyone involved in farming throughout Northern Ireland (and beyond) to grant him a fair wind as he sets off down this road. However, methinks he will need a second term in office in order to reach his final destination.
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Alltech.com/ireland AlltechNaturally @Alltech Sarney | Summerhill Road | Dunboyne | Co. Meath FEED COMPOUNDER MARCH/APRIL 2020 PAGE 25
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