Feed prices are expected to stay stable in the short term, merchants and co-ops have said.

“It’s hard to set a feed price when you don’t know what harvest price is going to be. We’ll be reassessing in October when we know what we’re paying for grain but I don’t see feed prices going up,” a merchant covering Tipperary, Offaly and Clare has said.

A spokesperson for the cross-border co-op Lakeland Dairies has said that he doesn’t expect any changes in feed prices over the next few months.

A merchant based in Co Offaly said: “Feed prices are steady as she goes at the minute. We don’t know where the grain prices will end up – it could be €180/t or €200/t. Yields are varying from very good to disappointing but quality is quite good,” the merchant said.

Prices at summer levels

A Wexford-based feed mill told the Irish Farmers Journal that feed prices should remain at summer levels until at least Christmas.

“There might be small reductions – €5/t here or there. Proteins have come back a little bit but a lot of it as usual depends on grain prices and where they settle up.

“You would think that they will finish something similar to last year… around €195/t,” he said.