Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Minister and his officials for their response to this crisis. There is no point in giving money to farmers to buy fodder if there is no fodder available. What was needed was fodder. I never thought we would see the day when we would be importing fodder from the United Kingdom and France. However, that is what was required. I congratulate the Minister, the Department, the co-ops, hauliers and the Irish Farmers Association on getting behind communities and delivering what was needed. The Minister has delivered on what the co-ops asked him to do, namely, to fund a transport subsidy scheme which I am delighted to note has worked. As stated by other speakers, we have received excellent value for money in terms of the amount of money spent in this regard.

Other speakers spoke about contingency planning. I agree that there is a need for contingency planning on farms in advance of next winter. We do not know if we will have an early winter or a late spring. Farmers will need to ensure, based on the stock they believe they will be carrying next winter, that they will have sufficient fodder. Thankfully, beef prices are strong this year. As such, farmers who had planned were able to sell off stock over the winter, thus lessening the impact on them of the fodder crisis.

The phrase "a normal grass growing year" is often mentioned. I am not sure what that means anymore. We have had some strange weather in recent years. As stated by Deputy Michelle Mulherin, we do not know if the erratic weather we have experienced is due to climate change and so on. While it is right that Teagasc and farmers have pushed out the boundaries in maximising grass production in the past few years - farmers in certain parts of the country have pushed out the boundaries for grazing to February - there is a need for contingency planning for the situations that might arise.

The effects on future farming patterns cannot be underestimated. The effects on cow fertility could be severe. Fodder produced last year was of poor quality owing to the long winter. Lameness and a late spring will also have a knock-on effect on fertility, breeding cycles, calving intervals, milk production and impact on some farmers' ability to expand in coming years owing to added costs. That is a concern.

It needs to be acknowledged that farmers may be unable to meet disadvantaged areas scheme eligibility criteria in 2013 as the fodder crisis may have led to the earlier sale of animals and higher mortality rates, resulting in their having low stocking rates. It is important that this be taken into account by the Department when adjudicating on DAS payments this year.

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