Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like previous speakers, I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak on this important motion. It is important to recognise that it has been a difficult winter and fall for every farmer in the country. It is also important to recognise that this has affected every farmer, big and small. The problem began last year when we had a particularly bad summer and no quality or quantity of silage or hay was made. It is also important to remember that this is not a money issue, as was suggested by some people in the past. Money will not buy fodder that is not there. It is a fodder crisis, not a money crisis.

I compliment the Minister in particular for his hands on approach to this issue in galvanising and making sure that all the stakeholders involved were brought together, be it the co-operatives, those involved in farm modernisation, the banks or hauliers, to ensure that everybody worked in conjunction with one another. It is important that happened to ensure we got fodder from around Europe, be it from England or France, to ensure cattle were fed.

As Deputy McNamara rightly said, the actual crisis is nearly over at this stage. This morning we could almost see the grass growing. Three important points need to be made as we look forward to next year. It is important that fertiliser is not spared on the ground in order to ensure that as much grass as possible is harvested for hay and silage in the future. It is important that Teagasc would get directly involved to ensure that the management of grass is organised in a proper way to ensure plenty of fodder will be available for the future. Third, it is important that farmers are educated about the amount of fodder that will be required to ensure we have plenty of stocks for the future. Unlike previous years when most farmers would have had an extra supply of stock left over, that will not happen this year and therefore we will have to build up reserves.

Looking across at those on the Fianna Fáil benches, the Fianna Fáil hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me. It was only a few years ago when Fianna Fáil thought very little of agriculture. Its members concentrated on bricks and mortar but now agriculture is becoming important again. The people seated across from me sat around the Cabinet table and voted to do away with the sugar industry, as Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned earlier, an industry that would have been a big help in trying to ensure we would not have had this current crisis.

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