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

Part 12 of A Programme for a Partnership Government relates to agriculture and the marine. Since last autumn a serious fodder crisis has been developing in this country. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister were far too slow to react in a meaningful way. The only way to explain this is to say they were asleep at the wheel. This has led to animal deaths being recorded at double what is normal for this time of year. Only for the co-operatives importing fodder, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine would never have woken up. Glanbia has promised a €50 payment for each tonne of animal feed purchased during April. Will this be extended by the Department to all farmers and every co-operative as well as backdated to January for farmers who can show receipts for fodder they purchased? This would in some way ease the major financial burden that farmers are under at this time.

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