NIGTA Feed Forum - The 2022 year in review

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had a profound effect on the global economy and caused significant supply chain disruption, particularly in the grain, fertiliser and energy markets. Despite the challenging trading conditions, local importers and traders worked tirelessly to ensure supplies of raw materials were not disrupted to the local agri-food industry.

The humanitarian impact of the invasion cannot be overlooked, and it is desperately hoped that a resolution to the war can be found soon.

Following the NIGTA Annual Dinner, NIGTA members donated £5,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal to help DEC charities deliver the necessities of food, warmth, clean water and medical care to people in Ukraine.

Fluctuations in the currency market further contributed to the volatility. The fall in the value of the pound had a direct impact on increasing the cost of many imports, including feed materials and fertiliser.

Disruptive weather was also a feature of 2022 with heatwaves spreading across Europe, drought in parts of America and flash flooding elsewhere.

This not only impacted crop yields but also interfered with transport networks.

Low water levels in Argentina prevented vessels from being able to load to full capacity and there was a large barge backlog in the Mississippi River, a critical transport waterway, due to drought.

Northern Ireland’s first Climate Change Act received Royal Assent in 2022 following a combined effort from the agri-food sector to ensure the targets laid down were science and evidence-based.

The targets set are ambitious and will require collective action to achieve them.

In 2023 NIGTA will be focusing even more of its efforts on the sustainability agenda by setting up a new NIGTA Sustainability Committee and engaging with stakeholders on how to address the various environmental challenges affecting the local agri-food industry.

Professional advice will play a key role in delivering important environmental messages and the Feed Adviser Register training will be central to this.

NIGTA focused much of its efforts in 2022 on dealing with the outworking’s of Brexit. As a member of the NI Business Brexit Working Group, NIGTA engaged with politicians, officials and stakeholders to highlight the practicalities and impacts of proposed measures, such as the NI Protocol Bill, and will continue this work into 2023 in the hope that informed policy will lead to a sustainable resolution.

The challenges of the past year have not faded away, but our world-leading agri-food industry has a proven track record of resilience, and through collaboration we will be able to overcome them together.

The Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association was founded in 1966 and represents traders, manufacturers, processors, distributors, brokers and service providers who are involved in the Northern Ireland agricultural supply trade.