The following motion was moved by Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív on Tuesday, 7 May 2013: "That Dáil Éireann:calls on the Government to make adequate financial supports available to assist those who cannot afford to feed their stock and also to transport fodder to this country from abroad; fully recognises the major role agriculture plays in creating employment, generating economic activity and acting as a custodian of the countryside in Ireland; appreciates the unique vulnerability and exposure of agriculture to fluctuations in the weather and food markets; records the ongoing hardship inflicted upon farming communities across Ireland due to the fodder crisis that has been evident in the country since last July and the sacrifices farming families have made to protect their livestock; acknowledges the devastating consequences that the aftermath of the fodder crisis will have on countless farms and the pressing need for the Government to put in place a structure to address their exceptional circumstances; criticises the complete and utter failure of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to address the growing crisis in its early stages in 2012, which has directly led to the devastating impact it is currently having on farming families; calls on the Government to establish a special unit in the Department to oversee and co-ordinate efforts amongst Government Departments, agencies, co-ops, marts and financial institutions to tackle the crisis and its long-term consequences; further calls on the Government to empower this special unit to keep fodder and credit supplies under review with fail-safe measures to ensure that such a crisis does not emerge again; and exhorts the financial institutions and the Department to reach a sustained agreement to ensure an adequate supply of credit to farmers during times of acute supply and market pressures." Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:"To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:"acknowledges the very difficult situation which has been facing farmers in light of the fodder shortage caused by unseasonal weather and the resulting delay of grass growth; notes the fact that efforts have been on-going since last September to alleviate the fodder situation after a poor summer, through Teagasc, the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's Emergency Animal Welfare System and the fact that the delayed spring has unfortunately elevated this issue to a more serious level in recent weeks; recognises the on-going financial assistance and advice being provided to farmers through the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council's early warning system and helpline, which has dealt with approximately 550 calls to date; notes the introduction of a €1 million Government transport subsidy scheme, which has to date resulted in approximately 600 loads of fodder being imported into the country; acknowledges that the Government extended this scheme until the 10th of May in consideration of continuing challenges facing farmers; recognises the significant efforts made by co-ops to source and import fodder, to reduce costs to farmers by providing credit flexibility and interest free credit for fertiliser; acknowledges the additional initiatives introduced by the farming organisations, the Irish Dairy Board and other organisations to assist farmers in recent days; notes that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and his Department have met and been in regular contact with the banks, co-ops and others in the industry to identify any particular problem areas or difficulties facing farmers as the fodder situation continues; notes the role being played by the advisory services to date and their on-going advice to farmers in dealing with the provision of adequate fodder stocks for the winter ahead; and recognises that outstanding farm payments are being processed as quickly as possible to assist farmers in financial difficulty; following the issue of approximately 1,500 Agri-Environmental Options Scheme (AEOS) payments over the last 10 days, close to a further 600 AEOS payments valued at just over €1.3 million are expected to issue within the next week."- (Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

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