Sheep farmers need “an inventory of fertiliser and fuel supplies”, a “full appraisal of available and projected feed supplies for the remainder of the year and next winter” and financial supports, according to a submission made to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).

The submission is aimed at protecting and maintaining the current sheep market against the farm input cost inflation crisis, which the IFA says the sheep sector is “vulnerable” to.

In the submission, IFA sheep chair Kevin Comiskey highlighted that the production cost increases sheep farmers are now exposed to have “very serious consequences for the sector”.

He referenced the recent Teagasc Situation and Outlook report, which he said “clearly identifies the seriousness of the situation”.

“The average income on sheep farms in 2022 is forecast to reduce by 20%, based on increased production costs of 30%,” he said.

Financial supports

While not putting a figure on the exact money which should be allocated to the sheep sector by Government to address these concerns, the IFA submission calls on the Minister to deliver a “direct payment for sheep farmers based on the latest production cost increases”.

The farm association says this payment should be based off the analysis by Teagasc and allow sheep farmers to “offset the increased costs for feed, fertiliser and fuel on sheep farms”.

The IFA submission said that the financial supports should be “paid directly to farmers based on their level of production” and “without condition” so as to allow each farmer to address the situation on their farm in a way that best suits the farm enterprise and land type.

The IFA called for the sheep sector financial support to come from the €16m crisis fund for farmers supplied to Ireland by the European Commission.

Comiskey said the flexibility afforded by the Commission to allow the Irish Government to co-finance the fund through a top-up of 200% to €48m “must be used”.

Stakes high

The IFA sheep chair said: “Decisions to put ewes in-lamb or purchase store lambs require a financial commitment into 2023 with no guarantee of a return.”

Comiskey said that sheep farmers will struggle to make these decisions without direct supports, as the “stakes in the current climate are too high”.

He highlighted that the sheep sector “already has issues” with guaranteed levels of year-round supplies for Ireland’s key export customers.

He warned that this situation “cannot be exacerbated” and emphasised that decisions taken on farms in the coming weeks and months will determine the sheepmeat supplies and the timing of them for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023.

Comiskey also pointed out that there is huge concern among sheep farmers for the store lamb trade later this year. Hill sheep farmers, in particular, depend heavily on this trade, he said.

The full IFA submission to Minister McConalogue on the sheep sector is available here.

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