Manufacturers present at the National Ploughing Championships last week reported a downturn in farm building work this year, mainly due to the tightening profits in the dairy sector, as well as a large cohort of the 8,000 farmers who applied for TAMS III aid awaiting approval before starting work.

“A lot of the jobs we are doing now are retrofitting or replacement work,” stated one slat rubber manufacturer.

“Farmers simply don’t have the capital this year for bigger jobs with the cuts to the milk cheque. Regarding beef farmers, we have no new builds on the job list at the moment. It’s all fitting mats in existing slatted houses,” he added.

One cladding manufacturer stated: “There is some work getting under way, but it is mainly smaller jobs. Your 150 cubicles-plus jobs or your large grain store haven’t been as prominent this year, with both sectors suffering a price cut on their produce amid a challenging year. Calf housing seems to be the big focus in dairy farms.”

Approval

Many manufacturers also noted that a large number of their clients are awaiting approval for TAMS aided work, though many had conceded to the likelihood that this work would not be completed before the year end.

Supply issues that had been prominent during COVID-19 have all but rectified, though planning issues persist.

Merchants also reported a fear among farmers in regard to nitrates and the possibility of cuts to cow numbers.

Farmers are of the belief that if there is a likelihood that they will be forced to reduce numbers due to the lowered derogation limit of 220kg N/ha or through the loss of land, any investment in farm infrastructure such as cubicles or slurry storage would be surplus to requirements in the near future.

The Irish Farmers Journal contacted the Department of Agriculture last week with regard to a timeline of when priority approval applications and ordinary TAMS III applications are likely to be sent out to farmers, but, as of yet, no reply has been received.