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Some 41% of the 442 sheep farmers surveyed said they are planning to change their creep feeding plans due to higher feed costs.
The finding could suggest a potential delay to spring lamb finishing rates and availability for the Easter market.
Sixty-five percent of the sheep farmers surveyed said they have delayed spreading fertiliser due to higher prices, with 47% reporting that they have yet to buy product at all.
With this drop in fertiliser use set to reduce grass growth, as many as 46% of those surveyed plan on reducing flock numbers to reduce feed demand or generate cashflow.
Over half (54%) of the sheep farmers surveyed say they are likely to have feed left over from this winter to reduce the volume they will need to save for next winter.
There are some 34,000 flock owners in Ireland, according to the IFA.
The Irish Farmers Journal survey findings suggest that as many as 18,360 of these farmers will carry unused feed into next winter.
Sale of this fodder to farmers in other sectors could potentially offer an additional revenue stream for sheep farmers.
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