Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a serious issue. Ireland looks very different now from what it normally looks like at this time of year. The Deputy is aware that grass growth is dramatically less that what it normally would be, especially along the southern quarter of the country. If one looks at the science of the grass growth curve, how it looks this year compared with a normal grazing season is quite dramatic.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, set up a fodder group, which met last week, and Teagasc is keeping in close contact with farming organisations. Farmers will need to plan for their own situations. Obviously, that will depend on how the weather changes in the coming weeks. At the moment, there is a need to focus on animal welfare in terms of shelter, water and supplementing grass feed with concentrates and silage where required. There is also a need to plan for the months and winter ahead in terms of the availability of silage for that period. Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will work with farmers on that.

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