Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Sherlock.

I support my colleagues' acknowledgement of the fodder crisis. Last night would have put a mental strain on any farmer. In my own backyard, there was an initial booking of 50 pens of cattle in Fermoy mart for today's trade. Only half the lots turned up, and although they sold at a reasonable price, those farmers were not in a position to bring them home again if they had not sold because they had no fodder for them. That is why those lots turned up.

At our last meeting I highlighted another crisis. More needs to be done regarding port facilities. Lorries are being sent in large numbers but importers are not in a position to bring in enough concentrates such as corn gluten and that is creating a fierce shortage of meal on the ground. More needs to be done to help our ports to speed up this process. Three or four months ago, the Minister said he did not need to act because there was no crisis but if he had acted, money would not have to be wasted.

Some farmers may have had the foresight to carry stock, silage and hay in their barns for the last three or four years and are now using it up. It is of as good a quality as what they saved last year. I am trying to tell the Minister that the money would not have gone to waste if he had brought in the stuff a couple of months ago, or especially going forward, with concerns about climate change. I ask the Minister to take action. Some action is necessary. I welcome his initiatives regarding greening for the tillage sector. I am delighted to see he reacted instantaneously there because the tillage sector is vital to the country's economy. As Deputy Creed said, he put money into capital investment in the dairy sector. We need to have the working capital in place as well.

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