Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. We had a three-hour session here yesterday discussing this very topic. Over the past several weeks, we have all been very conscious of how challenging spring has been for farmers in all sectors, including dry stock, dairy, and tillage farmers. The Government has been very conscious of this and has worked to respond to farmers as challenges have emerged. Thankfully, in the past week we have seen the weather lift and there has been much activity. Animals are being let out onto the ground and we are seeing significant work being done to get crops into the ground.

As the Deputy knows, I have worked closely with the national fodder and feed security committee, which is under the chairmanship of Mike Magan, and have worked with all stakeholders to monitor the situation. We have put in place a pause on inspections up to 22 April to relieve pressure on farmers. Teagasc, through Frank O’Mara, Stan Lalor and their team, was providing support at local level to ensure farmers who were short could source fodder from those who, thankfully, had some to spare. Thankfully, the assessment of the national fodder committee shows there has been enough fodder across the country.

Most recently, following on from the transport subsidy I put in place was the commitment I gave at the recent Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis to deliver €100 per hectare to all farmers who plant seeds in the soil for harvesting in 2024. That is at a level I feel I will be able to work to identify and secure. The objective is to set a level that will give confidence to farmers that as they go out into the fields, particularly this week, the Government will respond by delivering the support. More risk is associated with yields due to crops having to be harvested later. The funding will have to be identified and secured. It is not funding that was in my most recent budget and there are no plans for a mini-budget, but I, as Minister, have given the commitment to farmers that I will deliver on the funding and work over the months ahead to secure it. It was important that farmers got the commitment in advance of being able to get into the fields to give them the confidence to go ahead with planting.

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