Nothing has been done by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue or his Department to address the costs of fertiliser to ensure that adequate feed is secured for next winter, according to Macra.

Macra says that since the first meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee 48 days ago on 11 March 2022, little has happened prevent a “double effect” on farmers' incomes this year.

The young farmers' group says that rising input cost increases will lead to smaller amounts of fodder in the country next winter and warned that this will affect livestock sales and prices in the latter half of 2022.

Macra said the increased cost of inputs compounded by a lower return in sales prices will have a detrimental effect on livestock family farm incomes.

Immediate intervention

The farm organisation said that at the first meeting of the food and fodder security group, there was “unanimous support for immediate intervention by the Department of Agriculture and the Minster in order to ensure fodder security and price security for livestock farmers".

Macra president John Keane said: “The Minister must not be listening and questions need to be asked as to the reporting and response to the concerns of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee.

“Action is needed now. Farmers have already made decisions on fertiliser applications for silage crops for the first cut for this year, but there is a limited window to provide real support for livestock farmers.”

Support payments

Keane called for a support payment for fodder saving on every farm to ensure there is adequate fodder in the country next winter.

He said the Polish example of a flat-rate payment per hectare is a good example of one that can assist farmers. The Macra president suggested that this needs to be front-loaded to specifically target smaller farms.

He also called for a finisher payment for beef farmers to ensure that confidence is given to all actors in the chain so that mart prices are strong by ensuring the finishers around the ring are supported.

“There is also €40m of clawed-back farmers' money under BEAM that needs to be allocated immediately to support livestock farmers through these measures,” he said.

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