Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony's input on this issue. I had intended to share time with the Deputy but she had another commitment this evening and was unable to come to the House.

Grain farmers are going through one of the most difficult periods experienced on family farms in many decades and farm incomes are at an all-time low. I have spoken at length with some members of the farming organisations and grain farmers in west Cork in recent weeks.

I have visited many grain farmers from Kinsale to Skibbereen and seen at first hand the crisis. Grain farmers across the country have lost much of their crops and many face ruination. Many grain farmers in County Cork, particularly along the coast, are in severe difficulties as a result of the recent weather conditions which were unsuitable for grain harvesting. This has been the most difficult harvest in the past 30 years. Instead, the grain harvest this year turned out to be a salvage operation. The bad weather, coupled with the low prices of grain in the world market and high input costs such as the cost of fertilisers and sprays, means the situation has reached crisis point. Many grain farmers have lost between €200 and €250 per acre this year.

Many growers of winter grain along the south coast lost their crops due to bad winter weather. They then replanted their crops with spring grain crops which led to extra expense. Many of these crops were then damaged by the bad autumn weather, compounding the problem for many grain growers in the south. Many of them are left with large bills to pay to co-ops and other merchants. This is a serious emergency for the sector and it is clear compensation should be made available immediately to rescue the industry.

This year is the fourth year in a row in which many grain farmers find themselves trading at a loss. Over the past four years, the amount of land in cereal production dropped by 100,000 acres. It is predicted to fall by a further 67,000 acres in 2017. The whole farming sector is suffering from low prices. The Government must stick up for it and support our farmers. Without support, farmers will not survive. The IFA, Irish Farmers Association, and the ICSA, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, have already made a case to Europe on this issue but they need strong support from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. French farmers experienced similar problems this year and their Government is seeking compensation from the EU. Did the Irish Government support this call of the French Government?

Without a compensation package being made available to grain farmers, many of them will not survive. The sector is in real crisis. Will the Minister do everything in his power to support grain farmers in this difficult time? He would not be setting a precedent if he did, as in the recent past dairy farmers have been rightly compensated in a time of difficulty while forestry owners have been given replanting grants. Many grain farmers have told me that, due to the bad weather, their yield was as low as 0.8 of a tonne to the acre. Normally, they would have three tonnes to the acre. It is clear this year's harvest was simply a salvage operation, leaving them with huge losses.

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