Green Pages Feed Trade Topics from the Island of Ireland
IFA WELCOMES PRICE MALTING BARLEY COMMITMENT BY BOORTMALT FOR 2021 Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Grain Committee Chairman Mark Browne has welcomed the Boortmalt forward fixed price offer of €200/t for the 2021 malting barley crop. Boortmalt is the leading buyer of malting barley in Ireland. The chairman called on all grain buyers to commit to Irish tillage
farmers’ sustainability by offering strong forward grain and protein crop prices to encourage increased home production. “Last year’s tillage season was extremely difficult for growers,”
Browne said. “Preliminary estimates by IFA indicate a fall in tillage incomes of over 10% for 2020. According to the Teagasc National Farm Survey, tillage farm incomes fell by 15% in 2019, representing consecutive years of decline for the sector. “Also, the Irish livestock feed sector needs to reduce its
dependence on feed ingredient imports, which are of lower regulatory and environmental standards. Browne also indicated that the recent Ag Climatise report,
published by the Irish government, recognised this quality divergence. It emphasised the importance of increasing the Irish tillage area and promoting native grain and protein crops in livestock rations.
NIGTA WELCOMES PROTEIN PILOT SCHEME FOR NORTHERN IRELAND The Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association has welcomed the proposed pilot scheme to promote the growing of protein crops in the province and is keen to encourage increased production across all the combinable crops used in feed production. “With the growth in demand for high-quality feeds from the
livestock sector, our trade is becoming increasingly reliant on imports of grain and proteins,” according to Robin Irvine, Chief Executive of the association. “Less than 10% of the 500,000 tonnes of wheat and barley we
require can be sourced from local farms, and an even smaller proportion of our protein requirements are home-grown. There is a ready market for increased volumes of grain, as both wheat and barley are staple ingredients of most rations. The demand for beans, peas and lupins is not so well tested, but subject to quality and continuity of supply, there would be interest, particularly in FABA beans, as an alternative protein source in some rations. “The recent work at the Agricultural Research Institute at
Hillsborough on feeding dairy cows has demonstrated that with careful formulation of diets, home-grown proteins such as field beans could successfully replace soya bean meal in high-performing dairy diets
without any loss of production or impact on milk quality.” Robin continued: “Given the benefits of protein crops in providing
a break in a cereal rotation, in contributing nitrogen to the soil and in enhancing biodiversity, it is timely that this pilot should be undertaken to assess the potential and viability of increasing the acreage grown. Europe as a whole is in protein deficit, and in Ireland, given our natural strengths as a grassland region, the dependence on imports is even more marked. “From a sustainability perspective, the more local product we
can use, the better, and the challenge will be to manage the limited supply that will be available. Feed manufacturers tend to purchase their raw materials on long-term contracts to ensure continuity of supply, and introduction of new ingredients will need to be factored into their procurement plans well in advance. It is important, therefore, that growers research their options and ensure they have a marketing plan in place before the crop goes in the ground.” The NIGTA representative concluded: “The potential to replace
imports may depend to some extent on whether the area of protein crops will reduce the acreage and availability of the traditional grains. If the beans simply displace wheat and barley in the rotation, the result may be counterproductive, as increased grain imports will be needed to fill the gap. Hopefully, this pilot can point the way to an increase in production and an overall growth in the acreage of combinable crops in the province.”
FERTILISER PRICE HIKE WILL HAVE DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON IRISH TILLAGE SECTOR ICSA Tillage chair Gavin Carberry has described the speed at which the price of fertiliser has increased over recent weeks as staggering and said it will have dire consequences on farm incomes. “In the space of six weeks, we have witnessed price hikes of
almost 50%,” Carberry said. “Nitrogen, which was trading at €180/t, has now skyrocketed to €300, and urea is a whopping €400. That sort of a burden is just too great to bear. “Fertiliser companies are blaming various global issues for these
price increases, but what good is that to farmers who cannot increase their own prices to absorb any extra costs? Primary producers have been forced into a position of being price takers, and most have zero opportunity to work any increase in the costs of inputs into the final price they receive. The bottom line is that incomes will be seriously eroded.” Carberry added: “It is completely unrealistic for farmers to
be expected to take a hit like this, and for reasons beyond their control. Tillage farmers will need supports, and they will need to be
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