Atrocious weather bill hits €2 million a day
Emergency action taken as extreme conditions pile on pressure
Tuesday May 26 2009
Atrocious weather is costing Irish farmers more than €2m each day.
Experts warn this is only the beginning and it's too soon to estimate the real cost as the fallout will be felt well into 2010.
Emergency measures have been employed on farms around the country and, as one Teagasc adviser put it, it's all about survival at this stage.
However, the human cost is a more serious cost coming to bear.
"Farmers are under severe pressure and some can handle it but others can't," said dairy expert John Donworth.
"The farmers we meet in discussion groups can have a cut at you and talk things through. Dairy farmers, not in groups, and operating on their own, may feel really isolated and struggle to cope."
Soil temperatures are currently two to three degrees below normal for this time of year and recorded growth rates at present are running way below what would be expected.
At Teagasc's beef research facility in Grange in the past week, growth rates on the cattle grazing unit were running from 30-40kg DM/ha/day -- less than half the normal rate for this time of year. Worsening ground conditions have also forced the re-housing of stock at the Co Meath unit.
Silage prices have shot up to €30-40 a bale and there are even reports of farmers selling cut grass at €100 for each trailer load. Most farmers are now feeding 2-10kg of ration/animal/day, with feed costing about €220/t. Even so, animal performance, particularly in dairy herds, has been badly affected.
"Cow performance is taking a hammering and a drop in yield of 0.5ga is not uncommon," Mr Donworth said.
Dairy specialists estimate that milk producers are losing between €1 and €2/cow/day as a result of the weather. This puts the cost to the dairy sector alone at between €800,000 and €1.6m/day. With returns on drystock units and tillage farms also hit, the full cost of the crisis is likely to be in excess of €2 million a day.
In parts of the west, rain levels are three times the normal rate for this time of year.
"Generally, at this time of the year, some prolonged wet weather can be tolerated on most farms, as the recovery period is rapid when conditions improve," Teagasc cattle expert Liam Fitzgerald said.
Teasgasc sheep expert Michael Gottstein warned that grass shortages had reached "nightmarish" proportions, especially on mixed holdings.
On the tillage front, IFA's Fintan Conway said the time delay caused by the deluge was a serious issue.
IFA president Padraig Walshe has called for Single Farm Payments to be brought forward to alleviate the serious income and cash flow problems.
On a positive note, Met Eireann has forecast better weather for this week. Temperatures will begin to creep up to normal levels and may even reach the low 20s over the bank holiday weekend. More importantly, rain is set to ease and extended dry spells are expected.
- Majella O'Sullivan
