Approximately half of all farmers intend on cutting the amount of concentrates they will feed this year when compared to last, with a higher proportion of beef and sheep farmers set to reduce feeding rates than those in the dairy sector, the Irish Farmers Journal survey results suggest.

Only one-third of dairy farmers plan on reducing the meal they feed, while the corresponding figures for the beef and sheep sectors stand at 52% and 49% of farmers, respectively.

Just 3% of farmers said they would feed more meal this year compared to 2021.

Milk output

Some 43% of dairy farmers surveyed said that milk output has remained the same on last year’s volumes, with one in three reporting higher production in 2022.

The most common reasons for lower output cited by farmers for a drop in milk output were a lower rate of concentrate feeding, poor grass growth and having fewer cows in the herd.

Over half of the Connacht dairy farmer respondents reported to have upped milk production this year, the highest of any province.