Sheep farmers raise sugar beet fears
Gabriel Gilmartin, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, said store lamb producers from the west of Ireland will have to re-examine their options now that their customers in the beet growing areas will no longer have beet tops available for grazing.
“There were 90,000 acres in Ireland last year.
“This combined with disappointing market demand for hogget in the early months of the year, means that sheep farmers everywhere will have to look at pushing their lambs out earlier in the season from now on,” he said.
Mr Gilmartin said demand is traditionally at its best in the summer months for lamb, particularly for the French market.
“This might be the market that more farmers should be aiming for. In any event, the loss of beet tops is going to have deep repercussions for sheep farmers in Ireland,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of State Tom Parlon said an alternative for beet farmers must be found following the decision close Mallow sugar factory.
He said he will preside at a Progressive Democrats open forum at the Montague Hotel, Emo, Portlaoise, on Thursday night on the issue of whether crop production for the biofuel industry offers a real and financially viable alternative to tillage farmers.
The last remaining beet factory in Mallow due to close in May.
Mr Parlon said that Ireland needs to find alternative forms of energy production.
Dr Alistair McCracken, from at the department of agriculture and rural affairs at Queens University Belfast, an expert in woodchip and willow; John Barron, from Wexford-based Bio-Green, who will explain the feasibility of rapeseed as an alternative tillage crop and Gerry Duggan, from Engineers Ireland, will be the guest speakers at the forum.
