Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----because of the pressure that has been placed on the farmer by his inability to either source or afford feed. The reality is that at last some help has been made available, but much more needs to be done.

There are both short-term and long-term measures the Minister needs to take because, whereas the immediate crisis if the weather holds up for the next few weeks will solve itself, as the Minister will be aware, we already face a challenge because many farmers have not been able to close fields as they would otherwise have done to preserve them for silage making and, therefore, we face a challenge coming into the autumn because farmers are potentially starting with every shed in the country empty and also with many fields that would have been producing early crops of silage being a number of weeks behind. This means we need proper planning on this occasion. This was foreseeable from last summer. When there was a very wet summer, many farmers failed to get the silage out of the fields and it was obvious a long way back that if this was followed by a cold winter stretching into May, it would have a significant effect on the farming community.

Unfortunately, I will not have enough time to make all the points I would like heard tonight and I want to address myself to a number of specific issues that at this stage the Minister could deal with.

The first action I hope the Minister takes tonight is to give a clear commitment that the transport scheme that has been made available by him will continue after 10 May, which is Friday next. I am aware of co-operatives which are already planning beyond Friday next and which know they will have a requirement for fodder beyond that day because in some parts of the country the fodder shortage will go on longer than in others. I ask that he will also undertake here to make whatever financial resources available to deal with the issue and to ensure the transport scheme will be funded as long as it is needed.

I compliment the IFA for its assistance in this issue. I also compliment the flexible way the various co-operatives have worked with the scheme. I particularly thank good friends of mine in Connacht Gold over many years who, once again, teamed up with the local co-operative, CDS Teoranta in Corr na Móna, and have been making feed available because we do not have any dairying in Connemara, a point that seems to have passed the Minister.

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