Straw sales have only just started kicking into gear over the last week, according to traders.

Traders delivering straw into the west and northwest described demand through October as very flat.

“We were just ticking along for October, but the weather breaking has put a spurt on things. A lot of cattle have been housed in the last week,” one trader told the Irish Farmers Journal.

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Most of the straw coming into the west and northwest is costing farmers around €40 per round bale (4x4s) for split loads.

Hay is costing farmers around €45-50/bale, with most going to recreational horse owners.

Straw importer John Fearon, who is based on the Armagh-Louth border, said he had never seen the market for straw as quiet.

Fearon is currently selling a lot of Scottish and French hay into the southeast of England, where tight fodder supplies have resulted in record prices being paid for hay.

This hay generally costs around £250/t plus (€285/t plus), depending on the quality and the location.