Feed costs are running €120/t to €130/t ahead of the same point last year, an Irish Farmers Journal feed price survey has found.

It found that the average beef finishing ration is costing €416/t, while a general 16% crude protein ration is €428/t. On dairy farms, the average cost of a 14%, 16% and 18% crude protein nut currently is €418/t, €438/t and €452/t respectively.

On sheep farms, while it is too early to get a feel for high-protein late pregnancy concentrates, a 16% lamb finishing ration is currently averaging €429/t while an 18% ration is costing €489/t.

Regional difference

Farmers in the southeast are paying €16/t more for a 12% beef finishing ration (€421/t) compared to those in the midlands and east (€405/t).

However, the southeast has the lowest average price for a 16% ration at €420/t, with farmers in the southwest paying €14/t more than their southern counterparts.

For dairy farmers, there was little or no 14% ration being sold in the north or northwest at this stage, while those in the southeast are paying €14/t more (€431/t v €417/t) than southwestern farmers.

In fact, the southeast has the highest average price across all dairy nuts, with the midlands and east the cheapest for 16% nut and the northwest best priced for an 18% nut.

The cost difference between regions is greatest for sheep rations, with as much as a €25/t swing for an 18% ration, with the southeast and midlands and east the most expensive, while the southwest was the lowest-priced region.

On a 16% ration there was a €21/t difference between the cheapest region, which was the midlands and east, compared to the dearest region, the southwest.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, many feed mills have left prices unchanged for November. It sees the average beef finishing ration sit at £349/t (€400/t), a 16% ration at £368/t (€422/t) and an 18% dairy nut at €398/t (€455/t).

Bulk v bag

Buying ration in 25kg bags is currently costing €60/t or 13.8% more than bulk delivery, with those buying in half-tonne bags paying €13/t more than bulk delivery prices on average.

Buying in 25kg bags is most popular in the northwest, with 42% of respondents to the survey selecting this as their means of purchase compared to just 17% of farmers in the southeast and 13% of farmers in Northern Ireland.

For both dairy farmers and sheep farmers a nut is preferred to a coarse ration, with 83% of dairy farmers and 59% of sheep farmers purchasing pelleted feed.

However, a coarse ration is slightly more popular than a nut among beef farmers, with 53% purchasing feed this way. Across all feeds, a nut is costing €12/t or 2.6% more than a coarse ration.

Other respondents

Other prices reported included pedigree breeders who tended to be paying €60/t to €80/t more than conventional prices.

Organic producers, most of whom are buying in 25kg bags, are paying from €700/t to €1,200/t for beef and sheep rations, while organic dairy rations are currently priced at €950/t according to the survey.