Over 54% of farmers do not expect to have enough fodder for the coming winter, a major survey of Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) members has found.

Almost one-quarter of respondents expect fodder stocks this year to be back at least 20% on 2023 levels, the survey of over 580 farmers found, with 12% forecasting a reduction of at least 30%.

Although 9.66% of respondents expect fodder stocks to increase relative to last year, the results of the ICMSA survey confirm the growing unease within the agri sector regarding the fodder situation for the winter ahead.

The fall-off in grass growth this year - which Teagasc put at 1.5t DM/ha - is starkly reflected in the survey results.

Reduced first-cut silage yields were reported by 65% of those surveyed, with the drop exceeding 10% in 40% of cases.

More than 80% of farmers have also harvested fewer bales from the silage platform, the survey found.

In fact, the survey found that the quantity of bales harvested off the milking platform more than halved in 40% of cases.

Feed

The drop in the harvest of on-farm fodder will force 56.5% of farmers to purchase feed stocks this winter.

Indeed, just 5% of those surveyed expect to have fodder to sell this winter, the ICMSA research found.

Unsurprisingly, 58% of respondents predicted that they will reduce livestock numbers in light of the fodder situation.

On a positive note, 59% of farmers expect to be able to source sufficient supplies of straw for the coming winter.

Commenting on the survey, ICMSA president Denis Drennan said the results “highlight the pressures at individual farm level”.

Onus on industry

Drennan said that a full year of almost constant rain and below-average temperatures for late spring and early summer had resulted in catastrophically low rates of grass growth and growing anxiety about fodder stocks going into the winter.

“There’s an onus on the industry and the Government to boost farmer cashflows in a way that gets farmers through 2024 which - it’s already obvious - is turning out to be an incredibly difficult year,” Drennan said.

“The regulators, and the industry across the board, need to realise that farmers are under immense pressure and the system must respond through cashflow supports and practical help at farm level,” he added.

“Very specifically, we think that tillage farmers should be allowed retain their Straw Incorporation Measure payment, while also selling straw to those farmers in need of fodder,” the ICMSA leader maintained.