Each season we hear of an odd issue with crops, whether it be scorch, a mistake with the sprayer or an issue with seed. The issues can occur as a result of management or in some cases due to inputs.

This season seems to have thrown more up than usual with reports of winter crops in two batches of spring barley, but the levels don’t seem to be at a level to cause impurities, and more seriously this year there are a number of reports of issues of crop damage in the northeast thought to be from a herbicide.

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While these issues are rare they can happen and so it is important to keep a record. All farmers should record spray applications as they do them where possible, record the dates sprayed and if the tank was washed.

You should of course have spray records anyway for cross compliance and the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme (IGAS), but tracking tank washings might be useful.

Another record that has to be kept is the seed label. All farmers have to keep the seed labels from different seed batches and should record what batch is sown in what fields.

This is required for your IGAS records. If there is an issue you can then trace the seed back to the plant.

Seed labels are also required for some schemes such as the Protein Aid Measure and for catch crop seed for ACRES and the Farming for Water project.

If you do have an issue with a crop the first port of call is to the merchant or co-op that you bought the inputs off.

If the issue requires further action they will contact the relevant party and hopefully compensation can be arranged where it is required.

If the issue is found to be with the farmer then the records will be needed for any insurance claims that can be made.