As milk yields drop this year, dairy farmer Liam Curtis from Bree, Co. Wexford, has highlighted the financial and mental health “knock-on effects”.
Curtis estimated that his own yields would be down approximately 3L/day or face a reduction of 15% on last year.
He told Agriland in the video below that farmers are facing a “double whammy” between the drop in milk yields, along with a drop in butter, fat and protein constituents.
Many farmers are in the same position, and co-ops are also indicating that milk production appears to be down by up to 10% in some areas as a result of challenging wet weather since last summer.
Curtis said that Co. Wexford experienced “more prolonged rain” than usual this year, causing his protein levels to drop by about 0.2%, which he said is “substantial” when the figures “hit the chequebook”.
Milk yields
Curtis said he is now just trying to maintain milk levels and continuing to work on increasing butter, fat and protein constituents.
He explained that for a dairy farmer that would “take on” 500,000L a year, they would see a loss of around 70,000L, equating to an approximate loss of around €30,000.
While financial impacts can be seen, Curtis also said that impacts to mental wellbeing was “a bigger issue” and that the issue will “play havoc on people’s minds”.
By both talking to farmers and contractors, Curtis said that “the common denominator” for everyone is “how fickle the mindsets of farmers are”.
Derogation
Curtis told Agriland that another issue “beating down the track” for dairy farmers is the nitrates derogation.
While Ireland’s nitrates derogation currently allows farming at higher stocking rates, up to 250 kg nitrogen/ha, Curtis said that any changes to the derogation will see a “severe reduction in cow numbers”.
Curtis said that further funding is needed from the EU to help farmers comply with sustainability measures.
“The thing about the EU is that it’s a slow burn. What we can do as farmers and through the IFA [Irish Farmer’s Association], and so forth is pressurise them to give clear intent that they want to support the food sector in both parts of it, both at farm and processing level,” Curtis said.