New analysis proves why beef farming should come with a Government health warning
The recently released Irish Farms Accounts Co-operative (IFAC) report raises some serious questions about Government policy, particularly the long-standing focus on ‘output’ as the dominant measure of progress.
Most official reports and plans on farming are full of clichés and meaningless proposals, so it was refreshing to see IFAC treat farming just like any other business.
The IFAC report identifies ‘cost management’ as the main reason why the incomes of the top 25pc of Irish beef and dairy farmers significantly outperformed the earnings of the remainder of farmers in these sectors.
I believe it would be very helpful if Government officials recognised that something as simple as a business-based model for cost analysis of our inputs could make a substantial difference to our farm incomes.
And the recent political attempts to cast the blame on farmers for the misguided official farming policies responsible for our environmental and financial difficulties were highly unfortunate.
And similar to recent data from Teagasc, IFAC’s research shows that, on average, cattle farming remains a loss-making enterprise.
With this in mind, perhaps the time has arrived for officials in Agriculture House to ensure that all documents published on the future of the beef sector carry a Government Health Warning.
This would clearly state: “Cattle farming is only suitable for people who have a second, more lucrative farm enterprise, or are in receipt of a substantial off-farm income.”
It’s always nice to read the stories about successful business people, artists, authors, even ordinary working people, proclaiming how much they enjoy the therapeutic value of spending time on farms in the evenings and weekends.
Borrowings
However, it is also heartbreaking to read about young people who have invested tens of thousands of euro on infrastructure on their cattle farms and now find themselves struggling to make repayments on their borrowings.
Just over a year ago, we had the beef revolt, and the situation on cattle farms has become increasingly worse since then.
The focus of the new EU proposals for agriculture in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies is on the efficient use of our natural resources moving to a clean, circular economy, restoring biodiversity and cutting pollution.
On the face of it, these proposals could prove very helpful for farmers.
Speaking of biodiversity, I find that the lockdown has increased my awareness of what is going on around me in the natural world.
For instance, the pond in the high field, already the permanent home to a growing family of coots, has now become the occasional home to a mute swan. A pair of mallard ducks have also made it home.
A grey heron stopped over for a few nights recently and another day a shell duck called in to check out the place, but he appeared unimpressed and left quickly.
Down in the cattle yard a hollow steel post supporting my cattle crush has now become home to a family of blue tits (pictured). It’s fascinating to watch the parents spend most of their day bringing back grubs and flies to feed their young chicks.
I thought they might have been disturbed when the silage pit, which is right beside their nest, was being filled, but they just continued on with their tasks regardless of the huge machine working just feet away from them.
In regard to silage, I was lucky enough to get it in and covered during the fine weather. As usual I allowed it to wilt for 24 hours before putting it in the pit.
In hindsight I probably should have waited for another week to cut it, as one section was still quite light. The weather forecast at the time was dire, so I sort of panicked and decided to be safe rather than sorry.
On the plus side, the quality should be very good considering the amount of sunshine it got over the last month or two. It’s also nice to know that if grass for grazing runs short during the summer, I will have a good reserve of aftergrass to fall back on.
My grazing fields and paddocks have survived the dry weather so far. Cattle appear to be doing well with plenty of grass along with the long periods of warm sunshine.
There are concerns about the possibility of a drought, but the recent rain will ease these worries.
Finally, the dark clouds of Brexit which have hung ominously over us for the last few years have now become a thick black fog which prevents us all from seeing what lies ahead.
But we shouldn’t forget that in the midst of the chaos in which the world now finds itself, we farmers produce the most strategic commodity of all the food which everyone needs to exist.
The warning could state: ‘Cattle farming is only suitable for those with a second, more lucrative farm enterprise and/or those in receipt of a substantial off-farm income’
John Heney farms in Kilfeackle, Co Tipperary