Russian ships with grain for farm rations landed in Ireland after EU ban

Shipments of feed ration from Russia landed into Irish ports in recent weeks, despite a ban on Russian-flagged ships docking in EU ports under EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Two boats were granted special permission to land in Ireland, the Minister for Agriculture confirmed to RTE this morning. The exemptions were given by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, RTE reports.

The boats were carrying barley, soya hulls and wheat on board, which are used for dairy, pig and poultry rations.

Some 3.5m tonnes of the 5.5m tonnes of feed rations are imported and there are concerns around the availability of animal feed this winter.

McConalogue there was capacity for some derogations within the EU sanctions, in cases for food in particular, but that there had been no derogations provided recently.

“There has been some (derogations) for movements which had been in train and operationalised in advance of the sanctions.”

Such derorgations, he said, were something that the Government would only do in “very exceptional” circumstances…and we will be working to avoid and minimise any shch situations.”

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue earlier this year set up a feed and food security committee to address concerns over the availability of animal feed this winter.

The Minister also introduced a tillage scheme in recent weeks to encourage more farmers to grow more tillage crops, to reduce Ireland’s reliance on imported grains.

Further, the Minister recently announced a silage scheme, giving farmers up to €1,000 to grow more silage this year, again to ensure there are adequate stocks of cattle feed this winter on Irish farms.

ICMSA President Pat McCormack said there are concerns about feed availability but that the tillage scheme didn’t “go the necessary journeys”.

Asked if there was an ethical dilemma for Irish farmers that feed imports were coming in from Russia, McCormack said “it’s well beyond the farmers’ pay scale that ethical issue, that’s an ethical issue for the Government, how comfortable the Government are, if they feel that it passes the various protocols of trade at this given time, then Irish farmers will use that feed. It’s up to the Government.”

Figures revealed by the Farming Independent showed that initial plantings of tillage crops would increase by just 5pc this year, despite the push by the Minister.

Tags: sanctions, Ukraine, pig, Russia, animal feed, barley, feed ration, EU, landed, Poultry, soya hulls, wheat, Dairy, shipments, Ireland, ports