Unhappy harvesters blame their grain worries on weather and merchants
Initial quotes for winter barley reached 98 to 100 per tonne at 20% moisture, but IFA says these prices were short-lived, until imported grain arrived at the ports.
Traditionally, winter barley has sold at a premium, especially year when the entire old crop has been used.
But IFA claim that the importation of a substantial quantity of winter barley just as the harvest was getting underway, dampened prices by 8 to 10 per tonne.
“However, some of the more committed compounders have seen their way to paying a fair price, ” said an IFA spokesman
The IFA claimed that two major importers are working very closely with some of the bigger feed compounders and effectively by-passing native grain, reducing demand in an attempt to seriously undermine prices this harvest.
IFA say it costs growers 95 to 100 per tonne to produce green grain. To offer 85 per tonne for green winter barley was an insult.
“Unless action is taken to stabilise prices, we will have no native Irish cereal industry anymore,” warned a spokesperson.
Unusually wet weather for two months, low temperatures and disease pressure, have hit crop performance and yields.
IFA Grain Committee Secretary Fintan Conway reports that the better crops produced close to 3.75 tonnes per acre last year, but will hardly reach three tonnes this year.
This year’s average winter barley yield will be closer to 2.6 tonnes per acre, a drop in yield of 0.5 to 0.75 tonnes.
Winter barley is now generally grown by specialists. There are major worries that the yield drop will be repeated in the main harvest.
