Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the farmers in the Gallery.

Emergency aid is needed for cereal growers affected by the bad weather last year. Over 350 farmers, in the main in the south and along the west coast, have had crop losses of between 20% and 50% and, owing to high moisture and low KPH, payments for salvaged crop were poor. Farmers in many areas also experienced straw losses of in excess of 50%. As many of the farms affected are leased or rented from neighbours it will be difficult for farmers who have not had a harvest to pay their rent and cattle farmers in need of straw are faced with higher costs as they have to travel further to get it.

The tillage sector is important to the growth of our artisan food sector in terms of the demand for craft beers and whiskeys. This is a valuable sector that we need to support. Funding should be available to support farmers. There was an underspend of over €86 million in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine last year and under the single payment scheme 3% of payments were held back for a hardship fund - savings for a rainy day. The rainy day has come and the money needs to be spent. It should be easy to identify from area aid applications and merchants receipts who is in difficulty.

The Minister in establishing a tillage fund would not be setting a precedent because as pointed out earlier in 2010 support was made available for vegetable growers. Last year, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine reviewed the situation and made similar recommendations for an aid package. The hands-off approach cannot continue. The Minister must act. Farmers cannot borrow their way out of this hole. Low interest borrowing is not a solution: direct aid is needed for farmers.

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