Fears of a fodder shortage, particularly in the west, continue to mount as we enter November and winter begins in earnest.
With thousands of acres of grass uncut and straw unbaled, farmers are being advised to ration their forage in case of a long winter.
The main trigger for the fodder crisis in 2013 was that spring was late all over the country. Typically, straw, silage and hay moves westwards once stock are out to grass in the south and east.
Contractors in the west of the country are reporting that large amounts of second-cut silage have yet to be made.
Floyd McNeill, a Cavan contractor, said: “I’m about 4,500 bales behind 2016 and we thought 2016 was a bad year.
“It has been a vicious year. Silage is going to be in short, short supply. It’s going to be a famine.”
There is plenty of silage around the country, but transport costs are prohibitive. With straw, availability is the issue.
Falling acreage and unbaled crops mean a reduction of two million bales since 2012.
‘We have plenty of grass but it’s so wet we can’t get out to graze it'