John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on what is a critical issue for farmers in rural Ireland. Rather than rehash the reasonable proposals that have been tabled in the debate so far, in particular the extension of the transport subsidy scheme and the meal voucher scheme for cattle and sheep, which I support, I will focus on an equally serious issue, that of the physical and mental well-being of the farmers affected.

The mental trauma of being a farmer who has to listen to his or her herd roaring with hunger but is not in a position to do anything about it is probably the worst place any farmer can be. I am reliably told that the Samaritans helpline is busy with calls from the farming community. When dealing with the practical issue of providing fodder and feed for farms, I ask the Minister to ensure that supports are put in place to help it deal with the detrimental effects on people's health, both now and into the future. Will the Minister liaise with the various farming organisations and include this important issue in the agenda?

Extreme weather conditions are now an annual occurrence. Simply hoping that the weather will turn fine is not a sustainable position into the future. We can expect similar crises in 2019 and 2020, so we need to be proactive rather than reactive in our methods of addressing this unfortunate but all too common event.

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