Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It has been very interesting to listen to the contributions that have been made to this evening's debate by Deputies from all parties. I think everybody in the north west and along the west coast recognises that the fodder crisis has been around for a while. The Government has been responding to it. The Government's response to the motion before the House seemed to suggest that the response to the fodder crisis in the north west made the fodder crisis in the rest of the country worse. That does not make any sense, given that the Government was surely in a position to start trialling the problem and seeing what was actually happening. It should have been in a position to deal with and learn from the problems in the north west. It is clear that the Government has not learned what needs to be done. That is the big problem we face at the moment.

There are immediate solutions that need to be put in place. All the farming organisations, including the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association and the Irish Farmers Association, have pointed out that a meal voucher scheme and a transport subsidy scheme are needed immediately. A delay in farm inspections needs to happen straightaway so that farmers can concentrate on this crisis and deal with it. If there is a problem with delaying farm inspections, the Minister needs to tell us about it clearly so that we know where the actual problem lies. If it lies within the EU, we can direct our voices towards Europe to get some leeway or credit from there that will allow delays to be provided for.

It is clear from the contributions to this debate that there is a bigger problem. I was a member of Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine when it debated the removal of milk quotas. Everyone spoke about it as if it was fantastic and great. Having extra milk quotas and extra cattle was supposed to be the best thing that could ever happen. The very day the milk quotas were removed, everyone adopted a mood of doom and gloom. They said it was a disaster because there were far too many cattle. It was the exact opposite. It was amazing. As I do not come from a farming background and I do not have a hand or a foot in the farming business, I am not fully sure what is involved. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and I see what is happening. I listened to what was said when milk quotas were abolished. It was amazing. It was just like the turn of a hat.

There are problems across the board in agriculture in this country. The fodder crisis which is being experienced across the country seems to have been caused by having too many cattle that need to be fed. It is great that a number of Deputies have recognised that climate change is having an impact on us now. It is vitally important for the future that we look at what we can do to address climate change. It is only by dealing with it that we can put long-term measures in place to ensure this crisis does not recur every single year. As a previous speaker said, our climate will continue to change. We are going to have longer periods in which cattle need to be housed and farmers are going to have to cope with that. There will be teething problems as we get used to that in the time ahead. We have to do that now. The conversation needs to start right away if we are to make sure everyone is ready for it and can benefit into the future.

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