Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the past couple of months, we have witnessed tremendous stress being placed on farmers, who must cope with an unprecedented fodder shortage while trying to feed their animals. If we are to tell the story truthfully, we will acknowledge that it is not just the story of the distress caused when the grass, whose growth we all take for granted, did not grow; it is also the story of great camaraderie and resilience among farmers helping fellow farmers in need. We must acknowledge the dynamism of farming organisations, the work of co-operatives and, in many cases, the understanding by banks of the crisis farmers have been facing. Above all, there is a can-do Minister. We must acknowledge the initiatives of the Department, with its early-warning system and investment of €1 million in the transport scheme to defray the cost of importing fodder so that co-operatives do not have to pass on the cost to farmers, along with the work of Teagasc and the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council.

While all the scientists agree that global warming is happening, they may disagree about its causes. We know there is climate change and that it is not just the Third World or developing countries that are being affected. We have witnessed at first hand the effect of the severe winter and a previous bad summer. We have also witnessed what occurs when our natural resource of grass does not actually grow. Owing to these phenomena, we must realise, while bearing in mind the global context and our place in the global village, that we are not immune. We must consider how we can adapt and be flexible in respect of growing grass and meeting fodder needs and targets under Food Harvest 2020, which require the pooling of know-how in addressing environmental concerns. Education is a key response and allows us to compensate for and mitigate against the effects of climate change. Teagasc, to which Deputy Heydon referred, definitely has an appetite for and track record in the delivery of education. Most immediately, it is focusing on getting the most out of the grass that I am thankful is beginning to grow, such that farmers might be able to make provision for fodder this year and in the coming winter. In the longer term, we must consider under-utilised land - land that is not being cultivated to produce grass in the way we know it can.

I welcome the payment made to 1,500 farmers in the past ten days under the AEOS. In my area, the west, where people rely on the disadvantaged area payment, farmers should be given the option of receiving one quarter of that payment now. Not every farmer is in the AEOS or REPS. Some farmers are at the end of their tether in regard to the co-operation of co-operatives and banks. I ask the Minister to consider that.

See this speech in context