Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said the Government “won’t be found wanting” in terms of supports for farmers who are facing significant fodder deficits due to the recent dry spell.
His comments come a day after the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) said that 40% of farmers face deficits in the amount of fodder they need for next winter.
IFA President Francie Gorman yesterday described the situation as serious, particularly in the eastern and southeastern half of the country.
He said farmers cannot make grass grow when the weather does not allow, and that it was a “huge cost issue on farms” as well as a workload issue.
Mr Heydon this morning said that the Government will consider paying some of the costs of transporting fodder to areas facing shortages in the east and south of the country, from the west and north, which has not been as badly affected by the dry weather.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the minister also said that he had convened the National Fodder and Food Security Committee, which would meet tomorrow.
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“The point here is Government won’t be found wanting, and having elements of support there if they’re proven that they’re going to have a meaningful impact,” he said.
He added that the current growing season has not yet ended, and if rainfall was adequate then the issue could improve.
On calls by the IFA to subsidise fertiliser, Mr Heydon said that he “would like to be able to do so as part of my ongoing budget negotiations”, but that fertiliser was not an option for many farmers due to the moisture deficit.
He added: “I want to do that as well because we have seen fertiliser impacted by the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz in the same way fuel prices have been. That’s something that I would like to be able to do and have those interventions.”
He said that his department would look at the overall data being collected by Teagasc.
“Farmers are undertaking their own fodder budgets, they’re making decisions on their farms there and we will support every intervention that can help address that issue in what is a stressful time for many of those farms,” he added.
