RISING costs have "scared the life out of farmers". 

This was the blunt assertion of Swalinbar farmer, William Burleigh, as he spoke on the impact that high feed, fertiliser and machinery costs are having on the local farming industry.

"If you name anything off the top of your head, chances are it's shot up in price," said Mr. Burleigh who farms beef and sheep near Culicagh mountain. 

"It's not just the essentials, it's everything. Tractors have taken a big jump. Steel is away up. Concrete has gone crazy.

"Someone is winning out of it, and it's not the farmer."

Recent years have been volatile for farmers. 

Amid general spikes in most agricultural inputs in recent years, the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022 saw unprecedented spikes in fertiliser costs. Almost overnight, fertiliser costs trebled. 

And while prices have since fallen, they are still much higher than pre-war levels.

However, farmers like Mr. Burleigh feel they have been left to absorb the cost. 

"Two years ago, fertiliser went up to near £1,000 a tonne, and really scared the life out of farmers," Mr. Burleigh recounted. 

"They have since pulled it back to £400, but it will never go back to the level it should be. Realistically, £200 would be plenty.

"Again, someone is winning out of the situation, and farmers seem to be bearing the brunt."

Mr. Burleigh warned that reduced incomes for farmers will have an impact on the local economy as a whole. 

"It comes full circle," he argued. "If the farmer isn't making money, they aren't going to spend it. 

"In the Fermanagh area, the farmer keeps a lot of other businesses running. Cut that out of the economy, and things will soon come to a standstill.

"Yes, prices for sheep and cattle are good at the moment, until you go to buy meal, buy machinery, or fix up a shed. 

"A lot of the time in farming, you are working for nothing. You are only working to pay the next man."

Mr. Burleigh added that the current financial climate will discourage young farmers from entering the industry.

He added that other challenges, including "mountains of paperwork" and an increasing emphasis on "environmental farming" are making farming a less attractive career option. 

"Without a doubt, the current climate is discouraging," he said.

"Farmers 'wages' seem to be reducing every year. In what other job would you expect a drop in your wage year-on-year?

"Bottom line is, if things keep going the way it's going, there will be no farmers left."