Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. We have a national crisis that was flagged way back. We had a very bad autumn which resulted in a very bad harvest and the signs were there that the situation would be difficult unless there was an early spring, which did not come and still has not come. The west and the north west were mentioned but today, 17 April, cattle are still in sheds in counties Laois and Offaly that in normal times would have been out a month to six weeks ago. The cost and availability of feed is causing problems for farmers.

I support the amendment to the motion, which calls for a land drainage scheme. Deputy Martin Kenny has spoken about County Leitrim and other counties in that area but in the midlands, accessibility issues also arise due to the torrential rain we have had and there is waterlogged land that could be alleviated were a drainage scheme put in place. Reference has been made to fast-forwarding the outstanding 15% of the GLAS payment. That is a positive suggestion the Minister might take on board.

We all want to see a vibrant and strong agriculture sector, as set out in Food Wise 2025 and Food Harvest 2020. We on this side of the House support that. As a Deputy in a rural constituency I support it but we need to have a reality check. A lot of farmers in my area depend on three cuts of silage, which did not happen last year. Farmers are increasing stocking rates and they have been encouraged to borrow money to increase their herds. Some herds, in particular in the dairy sector, have doubled and quadrupled. The problem is that when something like this happens, the pressure mounts on the system. It is fine if everything is going well and there are three cuts of silage or two very good cuts, which did not happen last year, but the system breaks down when a situation like this happens. Last year there was a late harvest and a bad autumn and now there is a late spring so it is a double whammy. Stocking levels must be examined.

We are facing the importation of very costly feed. One must ask whether we should be growing more fodder beet. Should Teagasc, the farming organisations and the Department be encouraging farmers to grow more fodder beet? It is a good crop and one that will grow in a fairly wet climate, which we have seen in recent years. We must also examine other ways to generate income in the longer term. The Minister must consider the sugar beet industry again. It will not alleviate the crisis now - only money will solve that and short-term measures such as those outlined here tonight - but in the longer term we need to look at diversification. The sugar beet industry was wiped off the face of the earth in this country. It had benefitted small and medium farmers in the midlands in particular, in that the beet factory provided a cheque in the month of January or February that kept people afloat until the spring. It also took the pressure off land and helped to improve the soil. The industry was wiped away by a previous Government. I urge the Minister to look at the issue in the longer term but he must introduce measures immediately to address the situation as farmers are under serious pressure at the moment. This is a national crisis.

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