IRISH GRAIN AND FEED ASSOCIATION (IGFA)

The voice of the Irish animal feed industry

IGFA Latest Updates

EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) - extra 12 months of phasing-in time

EUDR has been at the top of the agenda throughout September. The EUDR was due to come into effect on 30 December 2024 and aims to ensure that products made available on the EU market are not grown on deforested land. It covers coffee, cocoa, cattle, palm oil, soy, wood and rubber.

There have been ongoing calls over many months from industry, some member states and exporting countries to postpone the implementation deadline. Most recently, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Minister for Agriculture and the Director-General of the World Trade Organization have added to this pressure, emphasising that the information necessary from the Commission to implement the regulation was not available and this would create significant disruption and risks in supply chains.

On 2 October the Commission finally made clear its intended direction by announcing that it was proposing an extra 12 months of phasing-in time for the EUDR.

New IGFA President and Feed Committee Chairman

John Coleman, ADM, was elected IGFA President at the IGFA Feed Committee meeting on 3 September in Portlaoise. John takes over from Ray Winters, Smyths Daleside, who has served as President for the past 2 years. The IGFA Committee and staff noted the range of challenges we faced during Ray’s term and thanked him for his huge contribution to the organisation.
Michael Shields, Connolly’s Redmills was elected IGFA Feed Committee Chairman. Already a valued member of the Committee, Mike is Chief Technical Officer at Connolly’s Redmills. The Committee deals with all market, policy and regulatory issues that impact the feed sector and IGFA members were delighted to welcome Mike to his new role.  He takes over from John Coleman, ADM, who led the Committee for over 7 years. Members thanked John for his support, hard work and dedication to the position of Feed Committee Chairman and wished him continued success as IGFA President.

Fodder Supplies 2024

At the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) meeting in July, Teagasc advised farmers to do a fodder budget and take action to secure fodder stocks. On 8 August they said that the next few weeks are critical to take opportunities to grow as much grass and conserve as much winter feed as possible on farms. Teagasc is running a campaign around fodder budgeting, fertiliser application and securing fodder and straw. All of the details are available here and a helpful one page fodder and fertiliser advice here.

IGFA FEED ISSUES

The IGFA Feed Issues newsletter is sent to all members monthly along with the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) for that period. This publication keeps our members up to date on the latest relevant news for our sector and covers issues related to trade, the environment and technical updates. 

European Partners

IGFA is member of the influential European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC). Founded in 1959 by five national compound feed associations from France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, its membership is now made up of national associations from 22 EU Member States.