Dark shadow of coronavirus hung over 2020

For farming families, like everyone else, 2020 was an ‘Annus horribilis’ [horrible year]. Galway farmers through battled through it – here Galway IFA Chairperson ANNE MITCHELL tells FRANCIS FARRAGHER about the ups and downs of a 12 months in our lives that most of us want to forget.

DESPITE all the problems caused by the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Ireland, one consolation for farmers was that prices in almost all of the main production sectors held up reasonably well.
Anne Mitchell said that through the course of the year, the trade for cattle was positive although she stressed that without the various schemes being in operation, the margins in such enterprises would be small to negligible.
“We just cannot underestimate the importance of the various schemes for cattle and sheep that underpin the economic viability of those vital farming enterprises to the West of Ireland,” she said.
According to Anne Mitchell, one of the consolations too from the year was the versatility shown by the marts in being able to generally stay open with the help of online sales.
“Of course, it is far better to have buyers and sellers around the ring but at least the marts for most of the time managed to stay going and provided a vital sales outlet for farmers,” said Anne Mitchell.
As regards dairying, she said that there was stability in milk prices from 2019 through 2020 and this was a ‘major positive’ for the sector.
She said that according to the Teagasc figures for 2020, the average milk price stood at 34.4c/l inclusive of Vat while by the middle of the year, dairy cow numbers in Ireland had risen to 1.57 million.
Anne Mitchell said that the gross margin earned in the sheep sector for 2020 [sheep/finished lambs] increased by 43% – this included the Sheep Welfare Scheme contribution.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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