Demand is rising for feed at Grennan's, with mills running close to full tilt, managing director John Grennan said.“We’re not seeing much panic-buying, it’s weather as much as anything.
Demand is rising for feed at Grennan's, with mills running close to full tilt, managing director John Grennan said.
“We’re not seeing much panic-buying, it’s weather as much as anything.
“We had a few orders that were unusual in terms of size. We’ve sent an email to customers assuring them [of supply].
“Mills are running close to full tilt, they’re not on 24/7 but they’re not far off it,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Grennan’s has segmented its shifts and closed down canteens, with non-essential staff staying at home on Monday.
“We’ve relaxed the rules on dockets, we’re trying to avoid the passing of paper.”
Sufficient supplies
Corby Rock had likely one of its busiest weeks of 2020 on feed production last week, Paul McArdle sales manager at Corby Rock told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“This was predominantly on ruminant feed. This was in line of what we had expected as there was a feed price increase effective from Monday 16 March,” he said.
McArdle said that the fear factor of the coronavirus is affecting feed demand.
“People are certainly conscious of this and looking ahead to make sure they have sufficient supplies. Feed supply to our customers has to continue, especially within the poultry and pig sectors. Corby Rock supplies customers from Cork to Donegal.
“Corby Rock [is] taking all precautions necessary to protect its staff. In doing this, our goal is to keep processing facilities operational. At this stage, there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about continuity of feed supply,” he said.
No reason for farmers to panic
Dairygold’s mills have plenty of feed ingredients and will be delivering to farmers, member relations manager Niall Griffey has said.
“There’s absolutely no reason for farmers to be panicking. We will be there. We have a good bit of capacity in the plant and we don’t envisage any major problems in the short term,” he said.
Last week was busier than usual for Dairygold on the feed front he said, adding that things have picked up and farmers are topping up feed bins.
“If a fella has a 10t bin, he’s keeping the bin topped up. We will be there to deliver the feed,” he said.
Drummond’s advice is to plan ahead
Managing director of Drummonds Michael Slattery said the feed supplier has sent a text to customers advising them of potential disruption in the supply chain if coronavirus escalates.
“We have extra transport on. The next two or three weeks will be hugely busy, there’s a good bit of fertiliser and seed going out. We were very busy over the weekend. We may be open tomorrow [St Patrick’s Day], we’ll play it by ear.
“We’re encouraging guys to plan ahead for the next month and decide what they need and be ahead of the game. Keep meal bins full.
“Order what you need for the next month. Feed prices will be going up by a minimum of €10/t from 1 April.”
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