Farm planning process issues

What often frustrates farmers is when they go to invest or develop on-farm to try and improve the impact on the environment and make life easier only to get held up for a year, maybe two, maybe indefinitely.

In some cases, the delay might be down to the bank as a loan might not be as forthcoming as they might have expected. In other cases, it may be for personal health reasons that they just don’t get around to it. In others, it might be the local county council or An Bord Pleanála that put a roadblock in place for one reason or another.

I’ve talked to two farmers this week aiming to make very reasonable investments. However, because of the process or system that allows individuals or groups to object to them applying for permission to invest in slurry storage or cattle housing they are prevented from doing so.

In effect, these farmers have an asset, land, and to make that work or at least get some return they need facilities. It is ludicrous that a farmer can get held up during the planning process simply because an individual has trawled through those seeking permission and for very small money can stop the process in its tracks.

Surely there has to be some sense and logic brought to this issue. Farming and producing food is difficult enough and has plenty of risks and challenges without outside forces pushing an open door that can stall a process indefinitely.

I’m not suggesting a circumvention of the proper way to do business, or breaking the law, but, when someone with no local knowledge or connection can prevent, delay, and ultimately cost farmers thousands for very little benefit to anyone, it begs the question – is the process wrong?

Are some questioning planning just for ideological reasons?

It’s not very often that a new piece of technology comes along that can really have significant on-farm benefits.

I believe sexed semen is one of those technologies that can really affect farmers on a wide scale. It has its limitations, and is not a panacea for all the challenges around breeding, calf exports etc. However, it can go a long way to helping. It was for these reasons that the Irish Farmers Journal invested in some of the early trials in Ireland that researchers have learned from.

We know you need to use the product on highly fertile cows. We know you need to time insemination differently to when using conventional semen. We know you need to use a team of AI sires. We know it’s crucial to play by the rules up to and including the final cog, the inseminator.

Many farmers have been using and learning about sexed semen for years. It is only now getting to the stage for widespread farmer adoption. If you are not using some of it, consider why not and learn if it has a role for your farm. Many farmers haven’t had a chance to think about the breeding season yet given the weather difficulties in March. However, when you do get that chance, maybe talk to someone who has benefited from using sexed semen and also talk to those for whom it didn’t work.

Availability of sexed semen has increased substantially so now some of the best AI sires are available sexed. If you don’t play by the rules, you will have 30% conception rates rather than 50%, so line up your ducks.

Is this the EU answer to a return to cheap food? The UK will open its doors to unlimited imports of dairy, beef and sheepmeat from Australia and New Zealand by the middle of the year. British-origin goods could spill into the EU. Around the same time, the EU is expected to do a trade deal of its own with Australia. It’s a challenge Irish businesses haven’t faced since the early 1970s.

While acknowledging that closer markets are always more acceptable to both sides in a deal, surely the pricing negotiations with Irish businesses are about to get much more difficult.