IRISH GRAIN growers face a double blow from the poor harvest which will see farmers having to import seed to plant wheat this winter for the first time in many years. Tillage expert Jim O'Mahoney said because of the conditions there was likely to be a severe shortage of winter wheat seed this year.
"We normally produce 50,000 tonnes of certified quality seed, but my advice to farmers who want to grow winter wheat this year is to order it now because we are going to have to import."
The poor harvesting conditions across the rest of western Europe was likely to cause a shortfall in seed availability, he said. "We have a big requirement as we plant 60,000 to 70,000 hectares of winter wheat each year, so the situation is grave."
Ireland's cereal farmers, the most efficient in the world by yield terms, normally plant winter cereal crops from the end of September.
Mr O'Mahoney, from the agriculture and food development authority Teagasc, was commenting as reports from the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) indicated that as little as 30 per cent of the harvest was in at this stage.
The IFA's national grain committee chairman Colum McDonnell said at this time in a normal year, 60 to 70 per cent of the grain should have been harvested.
Mr O'Mahoney said the harvesting of the main crops of wheat and barley was normally in mid-August but that has not happened this year. "It's been a very difficult year indeed, and the very wet weather has played havoc with plans to get what should have been a bumper crop," he said. "We will be compiling a full report from our advisers in the field on Monday, but I have to say that we have a grave situation now."
The IFA reported the southeast and Co Cork appeared to be faring better than their counterparts in the midlands where ground conditions were causing problems.
"The wheat-growing areas of north Dublin, Louth and Meath are also slower because of the higher moistures and the extra drying time needed," said Mr McDonnell. "The harvest has been hampered by frequent rain and difficult ground conditions that are affecting the traffic of machines. Every day the crop is in the ground, yields are dropping. Growers desperately need a prolonged dry spell to get their crops in."
The poor weather has also hit beef and dairy farmers who may face fodder shortages this winter, especially in the west. Many areas have not been able to get a second cut of silage, which accounts for up to 30 per cent of requirements.
Already, dairies are reporting an 11 per cent drop in milk from Ireland's dairy herds. The heaviest impact has been in the west and southwest as farmers have been unable to allow their animals out on grass. Teagasc said last week that 7 per cent of dairy farmers had been forced to house their cows full-time, with more than 30 per cent doing so in Co Wicklow.