Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The last thing we want to see is farmers selling the seed potato or the suckler cow. We do not want to see that. If there is a message that both I and the Deputy wish to send to farmers now, it is that they should engage with their advisory service to help them budget through with whatever feed they have and any supplement that might be needed. Teagasc, the State's advisory service, will keep my Department informed on the scale of the problem and whether it requires a scaling-up of the response beyond what we are now discussing. I am satisfied that there is sufficient fodder in the country, though there may be regional imbalances. It is unlike previous years where fodder was required and the State stepped in and imported it from the UK. I do not see that as being the case but it must be constantly monitored.

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