Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for the work they are doing. We have dealt with many evolving issues in the past four years since they took office and I thank them for sitting down and listening, not only to me but to the farmers in my constituency. I appreciate that. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the farmers I represent and to highlight the unique challenges that many of them have to face due to marginal land holdings. The constituency I represent which includes the hinterland of north Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal has a very strong agricultural output, with a particularly high number of dry-stock farmers. Dry-stock farming far outweighs any other farming enterprise in my area. The Minister and Minister of State both know the constituency well. It effectively runs from Donegal town to Longford and from the Cavan border over as far as Ballina. It is a very wide rural constituency where most of the farmers are part-time. They are feeding their animals before and after their daily work commitments. To compound all of this, most of the land mass is fair to poor and is difficult to maintain. Given the huge amount of rainfall in recent times, it will take weeks to dry out but only if the rain stops. I am in Dublin a lot but I know it rains twice as much in Sligo and the west of Ireland than it does here. If it is cloudy or sunny in Dublin and I ring home, it is nearly always raining in Sligo. We have a saying in Sligo that if you cannot see Ben Bulben, it is raining and if you can see it, it is about to rain. It is the most beautiful place but unfortunately, there are issues there. Maybe we should get a grant in the west of Ireland to compensate for the difficulties we have with rain. No offence to the Ceann Comhairle who is from Kildare but it does rain a lot more in the west.

Farmers in my region work harder for less reward because of the challenges posed by their land, the amount of rainfall and the fact that their holdings are generally smaller. I acknowledge the introduction of the fodder transport scheme. Farmers have acted responsibly and have built up fodder surpluses but it is certainly running short on some farms. This support scheme must help to move fodder from the places where it is plentiful to those farmers who need it most. We must also acknowledge the efforts of the farmer-led cooperatives to support this measure and to help coordinate it alongside Teagasc, which has set up a helpline.

Hopefully the weather will continue to improve in the days and weeks ahead and farmers can start to catch up on work. I ask the Minister to keep in mind that what is looming in many farmers' minds now is next winter and all that needs to be done before then. We want farmers to be confident about the sector and we need to support them if we are to build their confidence back up after the hammering they have taken. I would welcome any measures that will provide farmers on marginal land holdings with animal meal vouchers or, at the very least, targeted innovations to assist such farmers. All of these difficulties pile the pressure on farmers who are financially exposed and have loans based on productivity. The weather is directly impacting their financial outcomes and leading to mental pressures.

The Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, will remember that when I was a Minister of State in the Department of Health with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, health and well-being, we launched the On Feirm Ground scheme which presented a genuine opportunity to equip farm advisers with a toolkit of supports related to physical and psychological well-being. Farmers, male and female, received targeted benefits from this scheme by being able to access reliable and consistent health information and supports to improve their health and well-being. Unfortunately the fodder crisis is now having an impact on the mental health and well-being of our farmers. It is important to recognise this and do what we can to provide meaningful supports. While I welcome the short-term responses that have been introduced, we cannot take our eye off the ball over the coming months. There must be a continued focus on protecting and supporting our farmers and family farms. I urge the Minister to review the situation for farmers again to see what can be done for the most marginalised and for those affected by the recent poor weather and excessive rainfall.

Again, I thank the Minister and Minister of State for the work they have done to date. They have sat down and listened to farmers and their representatives, as well as to politicians from all parties and none. I am sure they will continue to listen and I wish them well in their work.

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