The Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association has welcomed the proposed pilot scheme to promote the growing of protein crops in the province and are keen to encourage increased production across all the combinable crops used in feed production. 

“With the growth in demand for high quality feeds from the livestock sector our trade is becoming increasingly reliant on imports of grain and proteins” according to Robin Irvine, Chief Executive of the association.

Increasing the acreage of locally grown crops will help reduce the reliance on imported grain and proteins to sustain the provinces livestock sector.
Increasing the acreage of locally grown crops will help reduce the reliance on imported grain and proteins to sustain the provinces livestock sector.

 “Less than 10% of the 500,000 tonnes of wheat and barley we require can be sourced from local farms and an even smaller proportion of our protein requirements are homegrown. There is a ready market for increased volumes of grain as both wheat and barley are staple ingredients of most rations. The demand for beans, peas and lupins is not so well tested but subject to quality and continuity of supply there would be interest, particularly in FABA beans, as an alternative protein source in some rations. The Recent work at the Agricultural Research Institute at Hillsborough on feeding dairy cows has demonstrated that with careful formulation of diets, home grown proteins such as field beans could successfully replace soya bean meal in high performing dairy diets without any loss of production or impact on milk quality. 

Given the benefits of protein crops in providing a break in a cereal rotation, in contributing nitrogen to the soil, and in enhancing biodiversity, it is timely that this pilot should be undertaken to assess the potential and viability of increasing the acreage grown.  Europe as a whole is in protein deficit and in Ireland, given our natural strengths as a grassland region, the dependence on imports is even more marked. From a sustainability perspective the more local product we can use the better and the challenge will be to manage the limited supply which will be available. Feed manufacturers tend to purchase their raw materials on long term contracts to ensure continuity of supply and introduction of new ingredients will need to be factored in to their procurement plans well in advance. It is important therefore, that growers research their options and ensure they have a marketing plan in place before the crop goes in the ground. 

The potential to replace imports may depend to some extent on whether the area of protein crops will reduce the acreage and availability of the traditional grains. If the beans simply displace wheat and barley in the rotation the result may be counterproductive as increased grain imports will be needed to fill the gap. Hopefully, this pilot can point the way to an increase in production and an overall growth in the acreage of combinable crops in the province”.