Fuel, fertiliser, feed, and finance – sheep farmers need support in all four areas to compensate for the lack of resources and cash flow to produce sheepmeat. The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) highlighted this in a report to the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue. It applies to the rest of 2022 as well as winter 2023.
The sheep sector is vulnerable to the rising cost of inflation. As a result, the IFA submission aims to protect and maintain the current status quo for sheep farmers. IFA sheep chair Kevin Comiskey said the increased costs of production have serious consequences for the sector. What’s more, the recent Tegasc Situation and Outlook report confirms this. Comiskey said the average income on sheep farms is likely to drop by 20% this year. This is because production costs have increased by 30%.
The IFA requested government support for sheep farmers to offset the higher cost of fertiliser, feed, and fuel on sheep farms. The payment should be without condition and funds used at the farmer’s discretion.
The European Commission already has a EUR 16 million crisis fund for farmers. The IFA said the Irish Government should use the opportunity to co-finance the fund through a top-up of 200% to EUR 48 million.
Furthermore, decisions taken on farms in the near future will determine the sheepmeat supplies and timing thereof for the rest of 2022 and into 2023.