Concerns are growing among farmers about the availability of vital inputs like fuel and fertiliser.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed up prices of both for farmers, however there are fears that it could lead to shortages of the key products too.
“Price is a massive issue and it will be, hopefully, a temporary issue, but availability at this time [is key],” said Pat O’Toole, political correspondent with the Irish Farmers Journal when speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
It comes at an important time in the farming calendar, with the correct preparations vital in the coming weeks in order to ensure a supply of food later in the year.
“This is the planting season, over the next two months we’re going to see all the crops that are needed being planted into the ground,” he said. “The Government is looking for more crops from farmers for both food and animal feed for forage,” he added.
“If that’s to take place farmers need diesel on their farms and fertiliser – and both are in short supply right now,” he stated.
Other inputs could also face shortages, including diesel exhaust fluid AdBlue, which is necessary in most modern diesel engines.
However Mr O’Toole said that diesel and fertiliser are the main focus, as they are central to the running of a farm.
“If you have no fuel the other inputs are irrelevant, because if you can’t start your tractor in the morning you can’t do your day’s work,” he said. “So whatever else does or doesn’t flow through, it doesn’t matter.”
He said fuel supplies running through depots are currently at half of demand. That demand is going to rise sharply over the coming three weeks as weather improves and the work on farms begins to pick up.
He said fertiliser supplies are in a slightly better state – with enough on-the-ground for the coming weeks. However he said suppliers have stopped taking orders, which means availability down the line could be a problem.
Mr O’Toole said the Government needed to work with farmers quickly in order to get a better understanding of the situation on the ground. He said the situation may not be as bad as it appears, but it would take work to find out what level of stockpiling had been done to date.
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