NI news round-up

Facilitator sought for land mobility scheme

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) are to recruit a facilitator for the proposed land mobility scheme in NI.

“We are now at the stage where we want to appoint a facilitator for the scheme and will hopefully get that done in 2017,” UFU president Barclay Bell said at the union’s roadshow in Limavady on Monday night.

However, it remains to be seen how the scheme will be funded. The UFU and YFCU met Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen earlier this month to discuss the land mobility service.

Speaking at the YFCU conference on Saturday, Minister McIlveen said that she was “very supportive” of the initiative but did not commit to funding at this stage.

“We are currently exploring options that may be available to my Department that could support the implementation of the scheme,” she said.

YFCU working on Brexit

Following a public information evening on Brexit and a discussion meeting with YFCU members in December, the YFCU is developing a document to represent the views of young farmers ahead of Brexit negotiations.

“Everyone keeps saying it’s a clean slate so we feel it’s the right opportunity to get our say in there as well. We are not a lobby organisation but we do think it’s very important to get the views of young farmers and rural youth to the fore,” YFCU president Roberta Simmons told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Conacre prices unchanged

Most lots were returned to the previous year’s tenants at the same price at a public auction of 150 acres of conacre near Drumahoe, Co Derry, on Wednesday.

The majority of lots were let by auctioneer Alexander Gourley at £250/acre with the main exception being two fields of newly reseeded grass which went for £405/acre for 11.2 acres and £450/acre for 12.8 acres. The lease includes the landowners’ Basic Payment entitlements which were worth €229/ha (not including greening) last year.

The land was all classified as lowland, fenced for cattle only, and was being let for grazing. Full payments had to be made on the day of the auction.

Seven deaths on farms in 2016

Farms remain the biggest challenge for reducing the number of workplace accidents in NI, representatives from the Health and Safety Executive for NI (HSENI) told MLAs on the Committee for the Economy last week.

Figures from the HSENI show that of the 16 workplace fatalities in NI last year, seven were from farm accidents. This is a similar level to the number of farm fatalities in 2014 and 2015.

Although it is higher than the four farm deaths recorded in 2013, farm fatalities in NI have remained below the 12 deaths recorded in both 2011 and 2012.

“For all tasks, we are trying to make farmers stop and think ‘how can this be done safer’. The farming industry has started to change its attitude to safety but we need to keep pushing this forward,” Bryan Monson from HSENI told MLAs.

Ahead of the open period for slurry spreading from 1 February, Monson said that animals should be taken out of sheds and farmers should stay out for at least 30 minutes after mixing starts.

“One of the perceptions is that there is a technology available that will make this safe, but it doesn’t. The science shows that if you are out for 30 minutes, 99.9% of the time that will keep you safe,” he said.

EFS meetings

DAERA has announced the dates of information meetings for potential applicants to the new Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS), due to launch at the end of February.

The scheme runs for five years and offers farmers three different measures for environmental payments.

The meetings start on 1 February and provide advice on how to apply to the scheme, what is on offer and the relevant requirements for compliance. Potential applicants are encouraged to attend.

Three information meetings will be held at each venue with each session starting at 1.30pm, 4pm and 7pm.

The dates are as follows:

NI milk prices up 53% in six months

Milk prices rose by 53% over the course of a six-month period from July to December 2016. The figure is based on the average price paid to a 1m litre producer supplying milk with average quality constituents, as published in the monthly milk leagues throughout last year.

Milk prices were at their lowest point in June 2016, with an average of 17.52p/litre for a 1m litre producer supplying average-quality milk. Base price in June was an average of 16.81p/litre.

By December 2016, average price paid had risen to 26.83p/litre for a 1m litre producer, while base prices in December 2016 averaged 24.26p/litre, an increase of 7.45p/litre, or 44%, over the final half of last year.

From the start to the end of the year, milk prices averaged 20.83p/litre, leaving the 2016 price slightly below 2015 levels, when milk prices averaged 20.98p/litre.

Urea prices increase by £80/tonne

Fertiliser prices have recorded a sharp increase over the past month, with urea rising by £70 to £80 per tonne and now trading around £270 to £280/t.

Straight nitrogen (27% CAN) is now trading around £210 to £220/t. Several merchants indicate they have offloaded the last of their 2016 stocks, which saw some farmers buying CAN at £155 to £185/t last month.

Superstart is trading around £235 to £240/t and 24-0-13 at £280 to £290/t, while 25-5-5 is £265 to £270/t. Lime prices are around £20 to £25/t spread, depending on the volume being applied.

Deals are on offer for full payment on delivery. Merchants have indicated that credit levels are being reduced slowly, but steadily, among dairy clients as cash flow starts to improve.

Merchants have not ruled out a further price increase before the normal period of peak sales in March and April. The price increases have been driven by a reduction in production levels and the value of the US dollar against Sterling.