RE: Ukraine - Just how much can our farmers produce?

[490808]

Minister to meet farmers over possible food shortages due to invasion of Ukraine

With the current war in Ukraine and possible shortages how much of that shortfall if any can our farmers make up?

Do we have the land, the weather, the machinery, the expertise and the infrastructure to produce more?

With the EU are we allowed to incentivise home food production to get a better level of food security?

Regarding wheat for bread my understanding is that we can't grow the sort of wheat here to make anything other than soda bread. There just isn't enough protein/gluten in the grain. If you want your sliced pan then the wheat has to be imported.

[Frank]

We should eat soda bread then. And we should be doing all this long before any war started anyway.

[490808]

I quite agree with you but farmers are only going to produce what will make them money.

My understanding is that we are no longer in a position where the government can incentivise any particular type of farming because of the EU but I may be wrong on that.

It is also my understanding that much of what tillage farmers grow is used to feed livestock that goes for export.

[kadman]

I am open to correction here, but didn't farmers get grants and payments for not using land for anything.
Thought it was setaside or reps scheme.

It might well be an opportunity for farmers to get decent prices for crops grown and food produced. Intead of major food outlets selling food at 49c and the like.

[490808]

First thoughts as I read the last post were



lets just hope it doesn't come anywhere close to that.

[490808]

I strongly suspect there would be a fire issue coming up to harvest time with corn and complains about crows and pigeons sucked into jet engines.

Still a good point about wasted land.

My BiL is a farmer (UK milk) and used to go on about all the wasted grazing on motorway verges .

[490808]

The long acre

https://m.independent.ie/business/farmi ... 05267.html

If petrol/diesel keeps going up in price then who knows there may be so few cars on the road it makes a come back

[316670]

Read we currently produce enough food to feed 20 million.
There won’t be food shortages, just crazy prices and we will probably be sick eating beef , cabbage and potatoes.

[490808]

Read we currently produce enough food to feed 20 million.
There won’t be food shortages, just crazy prices and we will probably be sick eating beef , cabbage and potatoes.

I'd be happy to eat more beef. If I want a decent beef or lamb curry I have to go and buy the meat myself otherwise its $%^%^%$ chicken.

No doubt the price of rice will go up