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Some 29,000t of cereal straw worth €2.2m was imported into the Republic of Ireland last year, figures from the Central Statistic Office (CSO) have revealed. This was a sixfold increase on the previous year’s import figures.
The largest quantity of straw came from Northern Ireland, at 16,000t, although much of this is likely to have originated from Britain.
Just 6,000t of straw is listed as coming directly from Britain.
In the three years prior to 2018, annual imports reached just 5,000t. However, the late spring of 2018, followed by poor spring crop yields and fodder shortages, drove a sharp increase in demand for cereal straw.
The CSO figures also detail that straw exports over the past three years amounted to 5,000t annually, with the majority of this going to Northern Ireland.
Weed seed warning
Tillage farmers are reminded to be vigilant of the dangers of importing manures containing straw which has been imported from mainland UK.
Seeds from species which have herbicide resistance issues, such as blackgrass, have been known to enter the country via straw imports.
The figures, which are compiled on an annual basis by the CSO, indicate import and export quantities of cereal straw in the form of whole, husk, chopped, ground, pressed or in pelleted form.
Securing figures on straw imports and exports has traditionally been difficult as there is no requirement to log these movements.
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