TEAGASC ezine / 04
ONGOING INPUT COST INCREASES SEEN ACROSS ALL SECTORS OF HORTICULTURE
Various external macroeconomic factors and world events have meant that grower’s input prices have risen sharply since March 2021. Brexit, Covid-19 and the continuing Ukrainian crisis have all contributed to a turbulent outlook when it comes to input costs associated with energy, labour, fertiliser, crop protection products, packaging and growth media.
Growers are often left to absorb the cost incurred by such a rapidly changing economic environment. The knock-on effects of rising input price inflation and supply of goods and labour force, make planning and managing crops and produce increasingly risky. Through direct contact with primary horticultural producers, and from the available data, Teagasc have revised input costings for producers across each horticultural sector in Ireland for the 12 months up to March 2022, citing specific examples of factors influencing the rising cost of production. The full report can be found at the following link: https://www.teagasc. ie/publications/2022/horticulturecrop-input-price-inflation-2022.php. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine has developed a support scheme for growers specifically impacted by the war in Ukraine. The scheme is open to glasshouse growers of high-wire tomato, cucumber, and peppers; and growers of mushrooms, field vegetables, and apples for the dessert, culinary and processing markets. ✽
NEW GROWING MEDIA RESEARCH OFFICER APPOINTED Teagasc recently appointed Eoghan Corbett as Research Officer in the Horticulture Development Department at Ashtown, Dublin. Eoghan will be conducting research as part of the Beyond Peat project. The project aims to identify, characterise, and assess the agronomic performance of peat-alternative growth and casing materials across the five key subsectors of horticulture in Ireland. This research will also encompass transformative processes and emerging technologies that can
convert low-value waste, or sidestream materials of indigenous industries or land-management practices, into value-added growth media materials. Eoghan completed his PhD in analytical geochronology and geochemistry at Trinity College Dublin in 2020. During this research, he has been involved in projects focussed on developing
novel techniques used in the geochronological analysis of minerals, in addition to contributing to a greater understanding of the fundamental physicochemical characteristics of geo-materials. Eoghan is also an avid gardener and has worked in both landscaping and arboriculture. Added to this experience, his background in geo-material characterisation and analysis, will bring a new perspective to the challenges of developing peatalternative growth media. ✽
For more information on any element of this e-zine, please contact: Dermot Callaghan, Teagasc Head of Horticulture Development Department. Email: dermot.callaghan@teagasc.ie; Dónall Flanagan, Teagasc Nursery Stock/Ornamentals Specialised Advisor. Email: Donall.Flanagan@teagasc.ie; teagasc.ie
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HC / Summer 2022
