A PACKED IFA County Executive meeting that was recently held heard contributions from New Zealand farmer Mr Ross Bradstreet and special guest speaker Gerry Gunning, executive secretary of the IFA rural development committee.

The meeting commenced with a number of commodity reports. Andy Boylan said that the recent grid system demonstration at the factory had proved useful and informative.  Upward movement in beef prices remains slow, but on an optimistic note he reported the possibility of securing North African markets for Irish beef. Lamb prices have nose-dived lately according to Eamon Markey of the sheep sector who also said that electronic sheep tagging would be introduced in late summer or early autumn. On the dairy front Seamus Brennan reported rising prices, with an excess of 28c/l plus vat being a possibility for April milk and rising for May.

Kathleen Ward informed the meeting that the cost of recycling farm plastic has reduced considerably. Dates and collection points will be announced later. Irish poultry has the lowest levels of salmonella in the E.U. according to national poultry chairman Alo Mohan, who stated that, following protests in their stores, Tesco is now committed to stocking 30% Irish poultry products which according to Mr Mohan is still less than satisfactory. Guest speaker Gerry Gunning gave a comprehensive account of developments on a number of agri-environment issues and schemes. He stated that the closure of REPS has left Irish farmers with the only option of joining the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme. In his opinion, the A.E.O.S is too narrowly focused, too cumbersome and Mr Gunning believes it will be difficult to achieve the maximum payment of €5,000. It may however suit some farmers. Closing date for applications is 17 May.

About 200 Monaghan farmers are still awaiting REPS 4 payments from 2009 due to a combination of problems at department offices and also the need for some plans to be revised. Mr Gunning said IFA is opposed to the proposed restrictions on turf cutting for domestic use, by farmers. The final 20% tranche of F.W.M. grant is to be paid in January 2011. A new farm grant is to come on stream, funded by unused SFP funding and targeted at dairy hygiene, water harvesting, sheep fencing, pig welfare, poultry, miscanthus and milk testing. For further information contact your local Department of Agriculture office, Teagasc or IFA. Mr Gunning also outlined for the meeting the “major task” that lies ahead for Ireland as it attempts to protect current farm support rates in the post 2013 CAP. Finally Mr. Gunning stressed the importance for farmers to exclude all ineligible areas in their S.F.P. applications.

New Zealand farmers Ross Bradstreet and his wife were in attendance and briefed the meeting on their farming experiences in their country. Their contribution was forthright and informative, highlighting the contrasts between farming in New Zealand and in Ireland including scale, climate, focus, regulation and supports. The landscape in New Zealand is similar to that of Ireland’s rolling hills and plains, but with much less hedge boundaries. Temperatures range between -4 degrees in winter and 28 to 30 degrees in summer. Rainfall is less than that in Ireland, creating a need for irrigation at times. This is expected to be problematic in the future as water is becoming scarce, and is needed for human consumption. Land prices are in the range of €10,000 to €15,000 per acre. Milk quota, which is traded in the form of co-op shares, is very expensive. Farmers are paid per kilo of milk solids and the aim is to produce 1000 to 1100 kgs MS /ha.

New Zealand farmers receive no state subsidies or support, but are subject to much less regulation than their Irish counterparts. Production costs are low with cows out all year on a grass diet supplemented with grass silage, and no housing. The Bradstreet enterprise is typical of the scale at which New Zealand farms operate. Farming a total of 770 acres, 375 acres are devoted to the dairy herd of 500 cows, with the remaining 395 acres carrying 300 ewes, 220 beef cattle and 270 young dairy stock.