There is plenty of Irish grain in sheds, while sugar, fodder beet and maize are widely available across the country, John Murphy told the Irish Farmers Journal in response to a statement by the Irish Grain and Feed Association (IGFA) on Wednesday 8 April.

Murphy, who is chair of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) grain committee, said these ingredients have been always been available and said the current situation shows how vulnerable the livestock sector is due to its reliance on imported feed.

The IGFA said: “The protests taking place are currently blocking access to Foynes and Ringaskiddy ports and this is creating huge problems for many mills, as they do not have access to vital feed materials.”

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The association said with limited storage at mills and lack of time to prepare feed, production is seriously hampered.

It added: “The longer this goes on, the bigger the risk for animal welfare. We need access to these feed materials as soon as possible so that our farming customers can continue to properly feed and protect the health of their animals."

Welfare risk

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon noted there is an animal welfare risk, as ingredients can’t get to feed mills, on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland on Thursday 9 April.

Murphy said the tillage area has been declining and the Minister has allowed this to happen. He said the feed industry and the Minister have seen the tillage area decline and “the demand for animal feed has never been as big”.

Murphy also questioned the standards of the feedstuffs coming in and noted that the IFA is in the process of bringing a proposal forward to implement a minimum inclusion rate for Irish ingredients in feed fed on Bord Bia Quality Assured farms.