Animal feed could be hit with a price rise of £3/tonne to £5/tonne before the end of the year, according to feed merchants.

With barley rising to £180/t and soya creeping above the £300/t mark, this will have to be reflected in future ration prices.

Soya Hulls are priced at £177/t, with gluten costing £175/t. Maize distillers is steady around £178/t, with maize meal holding at £175/t.

Cattle rations are currently priced at £190/t to £205/t for a general-purpose mix, while high maize finishing rations are still priced from £200/t to £210/t.

Dairy rations range from £215/t to £235/t depending on protein levels.

Merchants have forward-purchased as far as they can, but with increased sales to the dairy and poultry sectors, as well as farmers looking to stretch fodder supplies, feed mills are working at capacity and key straights are being used up at a much faster rate than normal.

Top up

This leaves merchants returning to the spot market regularly to top up stocks and therefore buying at higher prices.

Another factor which could potentially impact on feed prices is a rise in the value of minerals.

Reports from the trade indicate that a large manufacturer of minerals used in animal feed has had production halted due to fire.

Straw

The price of straw is generally unchanged with demand strong. Round bales of barley straw sold to £35/bale, including delivery, at auction this week.

However, there have also been reports that the availability of straw coming from the Republic of Ireland has increased, with some farmers managing to secure deals at reduced prices.