Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It always seems to be the case that the main point is missed out. We know it is being monitored by Teagasc people on the ground, and in fairness, they are advising farmers and working alongside them and doing their best. What is needed is an acknowledgement that something should be put in place to reassure farmers and inform them that they have an option for the future and that something will be done if this crisis deteriorates further.

Last week, I spoke to a farmer who had made a cut of silage in mid-June. Half of that silage is now gone and he never managed a second cut. That is a problem for many farmers in the north west. They cannot get out on the land. The Minister talks about the grass growing, but while the grass can grow through the roof, the cattle cannot walk on the land. It is that simple. It is too wet. The farmers need to be reassured that the Minister will put a scheme in place that will be there for them, and telling them that it will be done one by one does not give them that reassurance. The doubt is in their mind that it will not work out. They may think that cattle are a bad price, and if they are still a bad price next spring it would be as well to sell the whole lot now. Then we will be in a situation where there is a scarcity of weanlings and that will have an effect on the beef sector. It is a matter of stepping in on time and doing the right thing.

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