Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and the Department should be acknowledged for the sense of urgency they have injected into dealing with the impact of soaring costs on fodder supplies.

As we report in this week's edition, there are a number of steps that can be taken to boost forage reserves. If the focus is also to increase grain production, the objective should be to get more land under the control of specialised grain growers who should be incentivised to grow crops that maximise yield per hectare. But these farmers need both market and financial security before making the huge investment in additional inputs. Co-ops can provide the market security while the minister can provide the financial security – both in terms of input costs and temporary tax breaks for conacre rents.

Market demands

Policy measures should also be relaxed to maximise production area and give farmers within the straw incorporation scheme increased flexibility to respond to market demands next autumn.

Steps to reduce feed demand should also be considered. Exploring the potential to incentivise the movement of forward store cattle for final finishing to Britain should be given serious consideration - in collaborating with the British government and farm organisations. Not only is the UK largely self-sufficient in grains, British farmers have access to a significant food waste market and by-products from the distilling industry for finishing cattle. Developing a strategic partnership would increase food security in Britain and ease pressure of feedstocks in Ireland next winter.