Sheep, suckler and beef farmers feel let down by Budget 2023
SHEEP farmers are shocked at the failure of the Minister for Agriculture to provide any additional support for the sector in the budget.
IFA Sheep chair Kevin Comiskey said sheep farming is one of the most vulnerable sectors in agriculture and doesn’t have the financial capacity to absorb the level of input cost increases this year and which will be with us for the foreseeable future.
“The €20m Sheep Improvement Scheme funding in itself is inadequate.
“Failing to add to it in the Budget announcement has left sheep farmers a long way short of the €30/ewe required,” he said. “The Minister is acutely aware of the challenges facing the sector. Issues such as inputs costs; the collapse in the wool market and the concerns for the store lamb trade have been brought directly to him throughout the year.
“He has chosen not to address these by failing to provide any direct support for sheep farmers,” Comiskey said.
The IFA called for supports for farmers finishing lambs over the winter months since earlier this year, including supporting catch crops which would be suitable for finishing lambs.
He said the need to offset the costs associated with shearing to
IFA National Livestock chair, Brendan Golden.
The level of funding outlined for sheep farmers has been described as “inadequate” by IFA Sheep chair, Kevin Comiskey.
address the loss of farmgate value in wool have long since been put to the Minister.
He said the Minister cannot turn his back on sheep farmers and must, as a matter of urgency, provide direct supports for farmers finishing lambs over the coming months to underpin the store trade, which is a key outlet for hill farmers.
Kevin Comiskey said at a time when there’s a strong environmental focus in Govt policy, it’s astounding there have been no efforts made to maximise the potential of wool as a renewable product with huge potential. He said farmers must be directly supported for the shearing and presentation of wool to allow this potential to be realised.
The IFA Sheep chair said the Minister for Agriculture must come forward with his plans to support the sector in a way that makes a meaningful difference to income levels of sheep farmers to ensure the economic viability of the sector.
Meanwhile, IFA National Livestock chair Brendan Golden said suckler and beef farmers are not fooled by the
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue restating what is already set out in the CAP Strategic plans for the sector in his budget announcements. Brendan Golden said the additional €28m announced on Tuesday week last merely brings supports for suckler farmers in line with what they are currently receiving.
Following the anouncement that suckler and beef farmers are facing into 2023 with no recognition from the Minister of the challenges facing the sector, he said that the IFA have clearly and consistently called for direct supports for suckler cows to be built to €300 a cow and €100 rearing and finishing payment for beef farmers. The Minister has failed to provide these supports and has also failed to recognise the challenges facing winter finishers over the coming months by not providing a targeted payment based on production levels to offset input costs on these farms at the most expensive time in the production cycle for farmers.
Brendan Golden said seeking credit for an advance payment of the fodder subsidy scheme will
not wash with beef finishers and suckler farmers.
The IFA National Livestock chair said the Minister’s lack of support in the budget for suckler and beef farmers and the attempts to ram through a climate policy for the sector without any impact assessment of proposed measures or funding commitment is a very worrying direction of travel from a Minister who has talked the talk in support of the sector but has not walked the walk by providing the supports necessary. Brendan Golden said the Minister for Agriculture must come forward with his proposals for suckler and beef farmers that will offset the production costs faced over the coming months and his longer-term level of direct support to provide for the economic viability of suckler and beef farmers.
The IFA National Livestock chair maintained that suckler and beef farmers have a positive role to play in the socio economic and environmental ambition of the country but this has been severely hampered by the Minister’s failure to provide the direct supports necessary.
BOORTMALT have confirmed that the final average malting barley price in 2022 for the FOB Creil contract is €398.38/t. IFA Grain chairman Kieran McEvoy said it is a record price for malting barley in Ireland and a very positive outcome for growers. Last year’s price was €237.67/t and the price for 2020 was €173.73. However, he said inputs are also at record levels and tillage farmers will be concerned about their margins for next year.
Following further negotiations between Boortmalt and the IFA, it has been agreed that the €12.50/tonne drying surcharge will be dropped for harvest 2022.
Kieran McEvoy said due to early crop maturity and the warm weather conditions this year for much of the harvest campaign, grain moisture contents were considerably lower than typical this season.
“As a result, and following a review of drying costs in the period following this harvest, it has been agreed that the charge will be dropped,” he said. A payment of €2 per moisture point and a new €0.50c per point above 63kph will also be paid for this season.
Negotiations for the 2023 malting barley crop will begin between Boortmalt and the IFA Malting Barley committee and aim to conclude by the middle of this month at the latest.