The amount of lime applied to soils on NI farms during 2021 was the highest total on record, according to a new statistical report published by DAERA.

Last year, 212,000 tonnes of lime were purchased by NI farmers, representing an 8% increase year-on-year.

It is the highest annual total in DAERA’s records which run back to 2002, and the figures indicate that lime usage has been on a general upward trend over the period.

In the mid 2000s, under 100,000 tonnes of lime were purchased most years and the lowest total recorded is 90,000 tonnes back in 2006.

The DAERA figures show the average cost of lime last year stood at £37/tonne, up from £34/tonne in 2020. The total value of lime purchases in NI came to £8m during 2021, which is a 19% increase on the year previous.

Feedstuffs

The total quantity of purchased feedstuffs used on NI farms last year was also the highest on record, standing at 2.944m tonnes. The figure is up 2% on 2020 levels and is marginally higher than the previous record high of 2.942m tonnes which was seen in 2018.

The average cost of concentrates in NI during 2021 was £325/tonne, up from £291/tonne the year previous. The total value of purchased feedstuffs on NI farms last year came to £958m, which is up 14% on 2020 levels.

Fertiliser

The DAERA figures also show there was 8% less fertiliser purchased in NI last year, with 306,000 tonnes delivered to local farms.

However, with the average price rising by £60/tonne to sit at £289/tonne, the total value of fertiliser purchases was up 16% year-on-year to £88m.

Nevertheless, it is still not the most expensive fertiliser year on the timescale. Back in 2013, total fertiliser costs came to £100m when the average price was £305/tonne, although that record will almost certainly be surpassed this year.

Average NI milk yield passes 8,000 litres

The average milk yield per cow in NI has passed the 8,000-litre mark for the first time, according to new statistics from DAERA.

In 2021, average yields on NI dairy farms stood at 8,066 litres, up 2.6% year on year. The DAERA figures show that yields have increased by 32% over the past 20 years, with the average from 2002 at 6,120 litres.

However, there has been less change in milk quality in recent years. In 2021, protein content averaged 3.30%, which is unchanged from the year before. Butterfat content averaged 4.10% last year, up from 4.06% in 2020.

The earliest year in the milk quality records is 2011, when protein averaged 3.24% and butterfat 3.99% in NI.