Midland Farmer - September 2023

16 MIDLAND FARMER
September 2023
CSO: Meat prices
increased in July
Meat prices have increased since 2022, and
continued to rise from June to July of this
year, according to the national average prices
for selected goods and services just published
by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The figures released recently show increases
across the board for many meat variations.
Sirloin steak per kg rose from approximately
€15.85 in July 2022 to €16.75 in July 2023. The
average price for June was €16.53.
Striploin steak per kg increased from around
€22.13 in July 2022 to €22.45 for the same period
this year. In June, the price averaged at €22.15.
Lamb meat prices fluctuated over the last
year. Lamb prices for a whole leg had a
decrease in July 2023 from about €14.30 compared
to July 2022 at €14.39.
However, prices did increase from the previous
month. Prices for June 2023 stood at
around €14.18.
Lamb loin chops increased per kg, from
approximately €20.83 in July 2022 to €21.47 in
June 2023 and €21.582 in July 2023.
Sausages had a similar increase per kg, from
about €6.59 in July 2022 to €6.96 in June 2023 to
€7.05 in July 2023. Uncooked chicken, ham fillet
and salmon also rose from last year and last
month.
CSO PRICES
Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages
rose overall by 8.8% compared to this time last
year, according to the Consumer Price Index
from the CSO.
The CSO stated this is due to higher prices
across a range of products such as meat, vegetables,
bread, cereals, milk, cheese and eggs.
Full-fat milk per 2L increased by 15c in the
year, while the average price of Irish cheddar
per kg rose by 41c and butter per pound rose by
24c.
There were also price increases for an 800g
loaf of white sliced pan, which was up 5c, and
an 800g loaf of brown sliced pan was up 6c
when compared to July 2022.
Key considerations when
constructing farm roadways
Farm roadways have a significant role to play
on dairy farms to ensure that maximum benefit
is achieved from grazed grass.
Grazed grass is the key to the Irish dairy production
model, and access to this grass via
roadways is needed on farms.
To ensure the maximum benefit from roadways
is obtained, farmers need to make careful
considerations around not only their construction,
but also their location.
LOCATION
When building new farm roadways it is
important to ensure that they are built in a
location where they can be most useful.
Farmers need to ensure that they are being
built somewhere that will allow them to have
access to the maximum number of paddocks
possible and ensure good cow flow.
Often a main central roadway, with other
roadways running off this, works the best to
ensure that all paddocks can be accessed. For
some paddocks, there may even be access from
multiple roadways.
FARM ROADWAYS
A major consideration when constructing a
farm roadway is the number of cows that are
going to be using it.
For a herd with 150 cows or fewer, a roadway
width of 4.5m is adequate, with a additional
0.5m for every extra 100 cows advised.
In areas that will have a large amount of traffic
such as around the parlour, farmers could
consider having the roadways even wider to
improve cow flow.
It is also important to remember that some
machinery will be using the roadways so adequate
width should be provided.
Controlling the flow of water from roadways
is important; laying water will only cause
damage to the roadway surface.
The slope of the roadway will depend on
whether farmers choose to have a one-sided
slope or two-sided slope:
1:20 one-sided slope;
1:15 two-sided slope.
It is also important to remember the changes
in legislation to prevent direct run-off of
soiled water from farm roadways.
If constructing a new roadway or making
changes to an existing one, farmers should
ensure that the roadway is not in breach of legislation.
SURFACE
Surface selection is also important. The surface
has to provide some cushioning to cows’
feet while also being able to allow machinery
to travel on it.
Having a good road surface for cows to walk
on is a key control measure to reducing lameness
issues on dairy farms.
It will not completely eliminate lameness,
but it can reduce the number of cases considerably.
It is recommended to use 50-75mm of fine
material on the surface of the roadway and to
have it well compacted.
Once a new roadway has been constructed it
is then important to maintain the quality of
the surface.
Some farmers have started putting astroturf
down to increase the cushioning for cows and
extend the lift of the roadway.
Harton's Sand & Gravel Suppliers
of high quality Quarry Materials,
serving the community for over
80 years
Suppliers of:
(043) 668 1299
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Co Laois, Ireland R32 X9D9
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