Cork farmers running out of fodder because of unusually prolonged winter rainfall

CORK dairy and cereal farmers are under huge pressure because rain shortened summer 2023 and is doing the same with summer 2024.

IFA Munster chairman, Conor O’Leary, from Donoughmore, told The Echo: “This started on June 16 last year; it is highly unusual that it would be so wet for this length of time.”

Dairy farmers housed their cows six weeks earlier last year, and they are a similar amount of time into spring and stock haven’t gone outdoors. 

“The weather has extended the winter by two or three months, and what that has done has decreased stock reserves or fodder,” Mr O’Leary said. 

Surveys of IFA members show that 10% are out of fodder, 50% have enough left for three weeks to a month, and the remaining 40% will start to run out in the next two to three weeks.

When outside, cows can feed on grass, but inside they must be fed silage, which as many as 30% of farmers are short of due to the unprecedented levels of rainfall.

“Farmers would normally make a typical amount of silage or hay plus a little bit extra,” Mr O’Leary said, adding that this extended winter weather has “gone beyond” the levels farmers have prepared for.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said: “I am extremely conscious of the pressure on farmers, as a result of continuing and exceptional adverse weather conditions.

“I have asked Teagasc to establish a system for co-ordinating advisory supports to help farmers maximise existing fodder stocks and provide a basis for those with surpluses to engage with those who are struggling.”

There are sufficient fodder stocks around the country, but it is a matter of getting surpluses to those in need. Mr O’Leary said: “I think that what will be looked at here by the Government is who is genuinely short of fodder and how to get a system in place.”

Farmers sometimes buy cereals from mills and start introducing these to their livestock’s diet, or mix it with the fodder they have, or buy bales of hay from other farmers.

“If you look on DoneDeal, there is silage for sale and it is not overpriced, but, in some instances, there are cash-flow issues preventing farmers or making it difficult for them to source feed, so being able to get credit to farmers or enabling mills to give them credit might be the function of the government support.

“I’ve been getting phone calls from farmers who have fodder available, but the tricky part is: Are people going to be able to pay? If one good-natured farmer offers it, but doesn’t get paid for it, that would be an issue.”

Cereal farmers are also having “huge difficulties. This time of year, they would often be at the end of planting season, and, in many instances, they haven’t even begun.”

One Cork farmer had just 10 acres of his land ploughed out of 350.

“They’re under huge pressure, and there’s logistical issues in that different seed types need to be planted at different times of year. They have a small window of opportunity to plant and to harvest, so they may even end up having to change the crops they plant.”