Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too would like to welcome our friends from Estonia. It is great to have them here. I hope they learn a bit about the challenges and opportunities we face in our agriculture sector, which is so important to the Irish economy.

This spring has been unlike many others. There is a saying that farmers need to be optimists or they would not still be farmers, but the optimistic streak in our farmers has most certainly been challenged this winter and spring. Farmers have been battered by the weather over recent months. In the past few weeks I visited farms in my own county of Kildare, out west in Galway and around the south east of the country. Last Friday I stood in a farm in Gowran, County Kilkenny, which has the best of land. We stood in pools of water, such is the saturated nature of the soil. I heard and saw at first hand the difficulties farmers have getting animals back out to grass, getting spring crops into the ground and getting into their fields. I have also heard from my colleagues throughout the country, including my colleagues in County Meath who have visited potato farmers and my colleagues in the west who have met livestock farmers. The challenges are different but are all very serious. It has been a very difficult time. However, farmers are a tough group and by their nature they are optimists. Since the rain began last autumn, they have faced an extremely testing few months. It is at times like this that we see the best of the sector and that sense of meitheal, with everyone putting their shoulder to the wheel to help farmers to navigate through this difficult period.

As a Minister of State with a responsibility for farm safety, I know the impact that stress and workload pressure can have on a farm. A distracted and busy mind is rarely focused on the task at hand. That is when things can go wrong. In recognition of the additional burden and stress on farmers, at the beginning of this month my Department paused farm inspections that are not specifically required to support payments, until last Monday, 22 April. In doing so, we were conscious of the need to avoid any action that might delay or affect payments to farmers. Cashflow is critical at this time, when farms face additional and unanticipated expenses.

Similarly, the Health and Safety Authority has deferred its farm inspection campaign focusing on farm vehicles and machinery until Tuesday, 7 May. In the meantime, an awareness campaign is continuing to highlight safety issues around farm vehicles and machinery that cannot be overlooked. Bord Bia has activated a helpline in response to the weather difficulties. When contacted by Bord Bia to arrange farm audits, farmers can request to defer these audits if the circumstances they face so demand. These changes have gone some way to alleviating any potential additional administrative burdens for farmers. However, the pressure and stress of facing into the backlog of work remains. Picking up the phone to call a neighbour, friend or family member, and taking the time to have a chat and get any worries off their minds, can make all the difference at this really difficult time. I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that there are dedicated support services available to provide help and advice for those who need it.

At the outset of this challenging period, we said that every option remained on the table for us to support farmers. As outlined already by the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, we have been in constant contact with the sector throughout this period through the national fodder and food security committee.

We have been able to offer flexibilities in administrative checks, introduce a fodder transport support measure to ensure fodder supplies remain available to those who need them most, and confirm a much-needed step to support the tillage sector on the back of two washout planting windows. Thankfully, while we have seen the return of a drier and more settled spell of weather, bringing with it improved ground conditions and a resumption of spring activity, we will continue to engage with the sector to ensure that every measure necessary is taken to support farmers. We will also monitor our banks and other financial institutions to make sure they are doing everything they can to support the sector at the time it needs it the most. I am acutely aware that the impact of this spring’s additional costs, delayed planting and late turnout will be felt on farms throughout the rest of the year.

It was recently said to me that agriculture in Ireland is like a gearbox. It is central to driving forward the rural economy and without it we would be missing a vital piece of society that delivers a host of benefits for our country. However, if not every part of that gearbox is working, we also have a problem. Whether it is our beef, dairy, tillage, sheep or horticulture sector, they all make a unique contribution to the overall sector. If one does not function properly, that impacts not only on those farmers but on all farmers and on the economy of rural Ireland as a whole. That is why, in addition to our short-term response to the current weather challenges, we also need to keep an eye to the future. Current estimates are that by 2050, 60% more food will need to be produced to feed the growing world population. All the indications are that at a global level we will have to do that with less - less land, fewer inputs and less certainty about weather patterns. These are not far-off realities. Irish farmers are feeling the full brunt of it this spring. As a world leader in agricultural production, based on some of the highest production standards in the world, the EU and Ireland are well placed, and have a responsibility, to lead on what is a fundamental challenge of our time.

In the next while, conversations will ramp up about Europe’s budget for farmers and the shape of the next Common Agricultural Policy. As part of that, there will be an opportunity to examine how we support farmers during adverse weather conditions to ensure we equip each sector as well as possible. We must foster greater integration among all sectors and simplify the system of supports for farmers in order that everyone can make a valuable contribution. Ultimately, farmers want to be able to produce food and secure a fair price for their product while doing their bit to improve the environment around them. They do this hail, rain or shine, and it is our job to support their efforts.

While I said that farmers are optimistic by nature, the sector has found matters more difficult in recent years. Farmers, as the guarantors of food security and the custodians of the countryside, feel they are no longer valued as they once were. We have seen that reflected throughout Europe in recent months. It is by working with farmers in partnership, rather than in confrontation, that we will achieve the best results and do so in a way that brings everyone with us.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for the opportunity to address the House on these important issues and for giving over valuable Dáil time to what is a very important issue to every county. While we hope the sun will continue to shine for farmers, with just the right level of rain at the right time, the Government remains committed to working with the sector through this challenging period for our farming community. We will continue to stand with them and to support them in the work they do, namely, to produce top-quality, safe and nutritious food that is trusted at home and abroad, making sure their economic viability and sustainability will be protected throughout that process.

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