Dr. Siobhán Kavanagh:

The question of who was affected was raised in our own committee. Many drystock farmers were affected, and they are very lowly stocked. Our overall stocking rate is approximately 1.3 livestock unit per hectare. The winter was just so long, growth rates were poor, and grazing conditions were very difficult. A small number of dairy farmers with high stocking rates are affected also. They just have not grown the grass to match their stocking rates. This is the group we will try to target with advice to make sure the issue is addressed. They will not reduce their stocking number but should improve their grass-growing capacity on-farm and then look to reducing demand by outsourcing heifers and avail of contract-grown feed. For this year, the effect was across the board - both drystock and dairy - but the most severely affected were those in the southern half of the country on dry ground with heavy stocking rates for a finish. It is something on which we need to do a little more analysis.