Since we have had much urgent discussion in our party rooms and indeed  a number of our councillors met with the Minister last weekend following that discussion, I now welcome  news that CEOs of Dairy co-ops have agreed to the Minister for Agriculture’s request to substantially increase the volume of fodder being imported into the country over the short to medium term. The co-ops have also agreed to consider the introduction of interest free credit, within limits, to farmers for the purchase of fertiliser, limited to the month of May.

“This will ensure farmers have access to fodder for the foreseeable future and will reassure farmers that fodder supply will not be an issue until grass growth improves,” .  “While access to fodder is a priority, grass growth in the months ahead will be the key to ensuring that this problem is overcome. The latest initiatives agreed by the dairy co-ops today build on the measures already introduced by the Minister which were designed to deal with immediate challenges;

• A €1m fund to contribute to the transport costs of importing fodder to the country, which will reduce the cost of purchasing fodder for farmers by approximately a third, in the days ahead.
• The availability of emergency assistance under the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council’s early warning system to ensure that there is no reason for any farmer to see their animals starve
• Processing of outstanding scheme payments as promptly as possible

“The meeting today copper-fastens a comprehensive package of measures to address the fodder shortage both immediate and longer term. The initiatives agreed with the co-ops today, combined with the €1 million Euro transport scheme announced yesterday and the emergency assistance available under the farm animals council early warning system will substantially address the challenging fodder situation. There is no reason why any animal on any farm should starve. Support is there for anyone who is facing an emergency situation and I would urge farmers who need support to contact the Department for assistance,”

The Minister pointed out that he has already asked the advisory service to prioritise advice to farmers in the period ahead and to focus on the optimum use of fertiliser in generating feed for the national herd. With regard to ongoing difficulties in accessing credit, Minister Coveney will again meet with senior representatives from banks later today to discuss the ongoing challenges facing farmers and to ask for flexibility over the coming period in accessing credit. In addition, outstanding scheme payments are being processed with urgency. Seven hundred payments issued last week and outstanding payments are being processed as quickly as possible. “This comprehensive set of measures will assist farmers. Strong commodity prices at present for dairy, beef and lamb should allow farmers to plan with greater confidence for the year ahead.”

In my contribution at council I also  recognised that agriculture is a premier industry for Cork and for the country and whilst recognising that aid is vital, situations similiar to this could potentially occur in the future and therefore I was surprised to note , as far as I am aware, that there is no blanket Insurance product which could be accessed through the IFA in crisis such as this.  The IFA is a very professional body and alsways make an excellent and strategic case which issues arise.  It seems to me that such a cover package would be prudent into the future. As one farmer put it to me this morning such a situation has never occurred since the famine given the somewhat unpredictable  global weather situation unfortunately,we may not have to wait too long for another incident.