This year’s weather has wiped out profits so far on Ballygarron Farm outside Tralee, Co Kerry, vegetable farmer Paudie Hanafin told the Irish Farmers Journal. After delaying spring planting by two weeks because his land was “saturated,” Paudie said the weather quickly turned extremely dry.
“I started irrigating, first with my own irrigator, then with five or six contractors with tanks and rain guns. I was at it for five or seven weeks,” he said.
At an hourly rate of €50 to €55 excluding VAT, Paudie said he racked up over €60,000 in contractor bills for irrigation.
“At the first shower of rain, I stopped. I couldn’t afford it anymore,” the farmer said, although he has continued to use his own irrigator. “It took all the profit of what I’ve planted so far,” he added.
Despite the cost, Paudie does not regret his decision. Of 80ac of broccoli – the main crop on his farm – he has lost only around 15ac where he started irrigating too late.
With two plantings left this year, his hope to draw an income from the farm now hinges on last week’s promise from the Musgrave retail group behind SuperValu to pay Irish growers a top-up in recognition of drought hardship. “Ninety-nine per cent of my stuff goes to Musgrave and in fairness they’ve been good to us,” Paudie said.
When he hesitated whether to keep his crops alive in the face of spiralling irrigation costs, the assurance of a price increase from his buyer convinced him to keep going – yet he doesn’t know at this point how much he’s going to get.
Increase
“The increase will only be known once they know what Tesco and Dunnes are doing,” Paudie said. He added that higher prices will have to be sustained in time to have any effect: “20c/head for two months would do no good,” he said.
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Vegetable sector is in ‘intensive care’ – Farrell
This year’s weather has wiped out profits so far on Ballygarron Farm outside Tralee, Co Kerry, vegetable farmer Paudie Hanafin told the Irish Farmers Journal. After delaying spring planting by two weeks because his land was “saturated,” Paudie said the weather quickly turned extremely dry.
“I started irrigating, first with my own irrigator, then with five or six contractors with tanks and rain guns. I was at it for five or seven weeks,” he said.
At an hourly rate of €50 to €55 excluding VAT, Paudie said he racked up over €60,000 in contractor bills for irrigation.
“At the first shower of rain, I stopped. I couldn’t afford it anymore,” the farmer said, although he has continued to use his own irrigator. “It took all the profit of what I’ve planted so far,” he added.
Despite the cost, Paudie does not regret his decision. Of 80ac of broccoli – the main crop on his farm – he has lost only around 15ac where he started irrigating too late.
With two plantings left this year, his hope to draw an income from the farm now hinges on last week’s promise from the Musgrave retail group behind SuperValu to pay Irish growers a top-up in recognition of drought hardship. “Ninety-nine per cent of my stuff goes to Musgrave and in fairness they’ve been good to us,” Paudie said.
When he hesitated whether to keep his crops alive in the face of spiralling irrigation costs, the assurance of a price increase from his buyer convinced him to keep going – yet he doesn’t know at this point how much he’s going to get.
Increase
“The increase will only be known once they know what Tesco and Dunnes are doing,” Paudie said. He added that higher prices will have to be sustained in time to have any effect: “20c/head for two months would do no good,” he said.
Read more
Vegetable sector is in ‘intensive care’ – Farrell
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