Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator O’Donovan’s amendment to the Order of Business. He raised this matter several weeks ago and he is aware of the situation on the ground with fodder supplies. I commend John Bryan, president of the IFA, and other organisations which are putting up over €1 million to bring in 3,000 tonnes of high-quality hay from France. This is an indication that the IFA is not happy with the poor action taken by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, and the Department in this crisis. This is a fodder famine and action must be taken. Senator O’Donovan has outlined comprehensively the actions that need to be taken by the Minister. These are the actions we would take if we were in government. We would be hands-on, active on the ground and resolve this issue in a comprehensive way. Seemingly, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, does not seem to be that concerned about the fodder crisis in the west.

The scheme he has brought in is only for certain dairy co-operatives, not for farmers in general who may not have that type of contact. It is a very poor response to a crisis.