The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) has published its contractor charge guide for 2024, which indicates what it calls a “modest” increase in prices for some contractor services of 4%.
The FCI said that the guide comes as operational costs “soar” and that that it is satisfied that its price guide “continues to provide fair and reasonable guidance” for both farm and forestry contractors and their clients.
However, the association also said that the guide should not be considered definitive in terms of what specific prices contractor businesses will charge.
According to the FCI, the figures were produced by collating an average figure for each operation from a panel of FCI contractor members from across Ireland.
Charges may vary between regions, across soil types; distance travelled; size of contract undertaken; size and type of equipment used; and the scale of the work done. The guide is laid out in price bands rather than specific figures for many items.
As an increasing number of farmers are moving towards VAT registration, two figures are given for each item, one including VAT and one excluding VAT.
According to the FCI, the 2024 charge guide reflects slight increases, with some charges up by a maximum of 4%, while other charges are shown as nearly unchanged.
The charge guide lists 102 items, compared to 98 for 2023.
The FCI said: “It is now acknowledged that the farm and forestry contractor service providers are the most tax-efficient, economical, safe, and reliable choice for the delivery of machinery services on the majority of farms. This is reflected in the continuing increase in spend among Irish farmers.
FCI national chairperson John Hughes said that the the increasing costs of new machinery continues to impact on the sustainability of many contractor businesses.
“Machinery costs have risen by more than 30% in the past three years, while spare parts prices have risen by even larger amounts.”
“Contractors also have new and additional costs in 2024, with the combination of the minimum wage increase impact along with the new legal requirements around the provision of pension funding for employees,” Hughes added.
Two of the most notable challenges that the FCI highlighted for 2024 are fuel – with additional government fuel taxes set to add 12c/L to the cost during the 2024 season – and skilled operator availability, with a “noticeable scarcity” of young people joining the sector.
“Many agricultural contractor businesses are multi-generational and because of this Irish farmers value the highly skilled and professional service from their contractors,” Hughes said.
“For 2024, our sector faces higher cost and skills challenges as we strive to provide our farmer clients with a commitment of cost-effective and sustainable machinery services”.
The following is an abridged version of the guide (all prices exclude VAT):
- Baling:
- Baling, wrapping, stacking, and moving – €14.50-€23/bale (depending on inclusion of plastic);
- Baling silage (4×4) – €8-€8.50/bale;
- 5x3x2 silage bales wrapped – €11.50-€12.50/bale;
- Round hay bales – €6.50-€7.50/bale;
- Hay cutting/rowing/turning – €12.50-€27.50/ac (depending on combination of jobs);
- Round straw bales – €6.50-€14.50/bale (depending on size);
- Cultivation:
- Min till – €36-€38/ac/per pass;
- Disc harrowing – €36/ac/pass or €125/hour;
- Ploughing – €48-€54/ac (depending on lea or stubble);
- Power harrowing – €54/ac/run or €150/hour;
- Drilling/sowing:
- Conventional grain/fertiliser – €50-€54/ac;
- Conventional seed – €42-€46/ac;
- Maize seeding – €91-€96/ac (including plastic laying and spraying but excluding plastic cost;
- Grass seeding and rolling – €250-€255/ac (not including cost of seed);
- Plough, till and sow maize – €230-€250/ac;
- Plough, till and sow grain – €106-€110/ac;
- Fertiliser application:
- Broadcasting – €45/t or €96/hour;
- Bulk spreading – €45/t or €96/hour;
- Lime spreading – €8.50-€10.50/t;
- Spraying:
- Low volume (83L/ac) – €12.50-€14.50/ac;
- Liquid nitrogen – €90/hour;
- Combining:
- Cereals and oil seed rape – €68-€83/ac (depending on inclusion of chopping);
- Grain transport (up to 15km) – €9.50-€11.50/t;
- Beet harvesting – €155-€160/ac;
- Silage:
- Mowing – €26-€27/ac;
- Raking/tedding/rowing – €15-€16.50/ac;
- Precisions chop grass silage (in pit) – €160-€170/ac;
- Topping grassland – €22/ac or €57/hour;
- Slurry and muck spreading:
- Muck loading in wheeled spreader – €68-€73/hour;
- Muck spreading – €60-€100 (depending on weight);
- Loading and spreading – €140-€168/hour (depending on spreader size/type);
- Slurry agitation – €100-€120/hour;
- Slurry spreading – €67-€104/hour (depending on tanker size);
- Umbilical spreading – €160-€170/hour;
- Dribble bar/trailing show (2,500gal tanker) – €88-€104/hour;
- Forestry:
- Forwarder – €92-€130/hour (depending on large or small);
- Timber harvester – €130-€160/hour (depending on large or small).