Farmers are spending north of €3m/day supplementing livestock with fodder and feed, as a result of the ongoing drought that has gripped the country.
Grass growth has come to a standstill, forcing farmers in the east and south into full-blown winter-feeding mode. The cost to farmers varies depending on the level of feeding required, but it is reaching up to €3.50/dairy cow/day.
Joe Patton of Teagasc said the vast majority of farmers in south Leinster and east Munster were now on “full supplementary feeding” or “damn near it”.
Some farmers have moved to sell cows which scanned not in-calf following the spring breeding season, to offload pressure on feed bills.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has been called on to reconvene the National Fodder and Food Security Committee by the IFA and Macra.
He said that consideration will be given to a meeting of the group on the back of the results from Teagasc’s fodder survey, which is currently ongoing.
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