Increase in costs hits farm incomes

THE overall price increase in farm inputs over the past year, which is running at 18.5%, is eroding farm incomes, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has warned.

Its president Padraig Walshe said the agricultural price trends published by the Central Statistics Office are devastating for sectors including pig production, where there has been no product price increase in the past year.

“The price inflation is greatest for fertilisers at 45%, feeding-stuffs at over 20% and energy at about 15%. These three inputs amounted to a total expenditure by farmers last year of €1.7 billion, or over 60% of all current inputs and services,” he said.