Suckler farmers forced into part-time work
Rising costs are forcing more and more suckler farmers into part-time farming, says Gary Fisher, the Teagasc advisor who has worked over the past six years with the GVM Marts group in developing seven producer groups of suckler farmers in counties Limerick, Cork, Clare and Offaly.
Even farmers doing a good job technically have found their costs were too high, he said. But he was encouraged to find that the suckler farmers who took "off-farm" employment were investing their additional non-farming income back into their farms.
Although the proportion of producer group members engaged in full-time farming had dropped from 78% to 55%, those who had take the off-farm jobs were still committed to the farm enterprise.
"The part-time farmers have money to re-invest in the farms and consequently their fixed costs have risen. But, in the long term, if they wanted to stay in farming, the buildings, layout and facilities on the farm had to be improved," he said.
"If they did not have the money to make these improvements, there is no way that they could continue in part-time farming," he said.
Gary said suckler farming can still pay if costs were controlled, but that was becoming more difficult to achieve.
"I believe that it can be profitable and there are farmers within the group who are making money, especially those farmers who have their costs in order and are collecting all of the premia. Unfortunately, when you look at the accounts of many suckler farmers, most of the money they are getting in direct payments is being eaten up by their costs."
Fisher, a native of Co Donegal, intends returning home to take up Teagasc advisory work.
His past exploits are impressive. While at GVM Marts Fisher helped develop one of the largest and most successful suckler production groups in the country.
