Onus on Trade to Support Grain Prices – Downey

IFA President Eddie Downey said that he has been in contact with the main buyers and there is an onus on all co-op and merchant grain buyers to pay a strong price for grain this harvest as they move to finalise the green grain prices over the coming days.

He said, “The larger buyers must take the lead in setting prices that will support growers’ incomes, which remain on the floor for the third consecutive year. The prices for dried grain for November/December collection have strengthened considerably in recent days and this must be reflected in the price paid for green grain. A strong price is necessary to help grain farmers justify continued planting for next year”.

The IFA President said, “Government commitment to a TAMS scheme for grain farmers must be meaningful and introduced without delay. Targeted investment in the arable crop sector will result in increased productivity and margin generation while meeting the challenges of sustainable crop production”.

IFA National Grain Committee Chairman Liam Dunne said, “There needs to be a serious realignment of the arable cost base, particularly for fertiliser, machinery and machinery spares. The EU Commission and political establishment needs to take immediate action to curb the power of major input suppliers such as fertiliser and machinery manufacturers. The consolidation of these industries over recent years has created a serious imbalance. This is clearly evident from the fertiliser market where prices have increased by close on 250% over the last decade while grain prices have remained static. It now takes 2.5t of grain to purchase 1t of CAN. Historically the price ratio was 1:1 or less. The respective EU DGs (Competition, Agriculture, Trade and Growth) need to be more proactive in dealing with the major multinationals, otherwise Europe and European agriculture will be the big losers”.