Mixed weather is hampering sowing progress and tillage farmers across the country have been struggling to get work done this spring.

Chair of the IFA grain committee John Murphy said that many areas have nothing sowed yet.

“In Wexford, about 65% of tillage area is sown but it’s all in localised areas with very dry ground and good land, however in the south of the county there’s very little sown in places.”

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He said that confidence is low in the sector and farmers are reluctant to go sowing in any kind of mixed conditions.

“Talking to contractors, they have not been sowing for any more than three or four days in a row,” he explained.

Murphy estimated that across Ireland only about 50% of crops have been sown so far.

He said that the IFA grain committee is continuing to monitor the situation and speaking to the Department and the EU about a tillage scheme to mitigate against weather and input cost losses and also on CBAM tax on fertiliser. IFA grain chair for Meath Thomas McKeown said “in my area in north Meath, we would usually be sowing around now but that hasn’t been possible due to the weather.”

“We are not in panic stations yet but there’s a lot of work ahead of us,” he said.

Pressure

Rory Doyle IFA grain chair for Laois estimates that approximately only 10-20% of barley has been sown in Laois.

He mentioned that there’s a lot of pressure to get work done at the moment. “If you’re trying to look after winter crops and get ready for spring crops, you’re swapping from one job to another.”

He said that he couldn’t see how spring barley sown on rented land could make money this year and reiterated that the tillage sector is on its knees and that more needs to be done.

On a more positive note he said “winter crops are looking quite good and survived the winter well.”

Ground is still wet in areas and temperatures are also lower than usual, with ground yet to be ploughed in some areas.