Irish vegetable growers are exiting the sector and closing down their businesses at a rapid rate.

This week, the Irish Farmers Journal spoke to Cahal Lenehan whose family are winding down their vegetable enterprise this season.

By June, the third generation of the family business will have sold their last cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

Lenehan farms in Co Meath and said: “It’s not sustainable anymore.”

A national food ombudsman is yet to be appointed, despite it being a commitment in the Programme for Government

His family’s business produced high-quality vegetables, and was reliable for its suppliers, but he claims he was not paid fairly for the produce. He expects more vegetable growers to leave in the coming weeks and said soon there will be no Irish producers left to source from.

In the meantime, supermarkets continue to sell vegetables at low-cost in order to entice customers to their stores.

A national food ombudsman is yet to be appointed, despite it being a commitment in the Programme for Government.

In 2018, 10 broccoli growers were packing for supermarkets. This number is now down to four.

Ireland’s largest broccoli grower, Paul Brophy based in Co Kildare, has said the sector is facing extinction.

Rising costs

He needs a 15% price increase to account for rising costs and to simply pay the bills. If this increase doesn’t come, those growers will not plant their crops.

This week is crunch time. Broccoli growers need to plant crops now to maximise their selling season, but they will not budge until they get that 15% rise. They are willing to cut acreage and see fixed costs increase.

Since its publication, these costs have only risen with fertiliser being a major driver

With margins now in the negative, scale is the enemy in the sector as the loss is greater. The bigger you are, the more you will lose.

A Teagasc report published in November 2021 showed a 12.4% increase in input costs for vegetables.

Since its publication, these costs have only risen with fertiliser being a major driver.

Cardboard, plastic packaging and energy are among some of the other contributors.

As the Irish Government targets emissions reductions in agriculture, Irish vegetable producers, who are among the lowest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, are declining in numbers rapidly.

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