Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While I welcome the role of Teagasc and its advice, the reality is that we are facing an unprecedented crisis and some practical measures must be taken in order to optimise grass growth and the availability of fodder for next winter. First, I suggest that the closing date for the spreading of chemical fertiliser be extended by two weeks. Rain will come at some stage and we must exploit the amount of grass that we can grow when the rain comes. Tillage farmers will be in a crisis. They have had a number of years of very low income. Given the late sowing this spring followed by the weather conditions we have experienced, tillage farmers, especially those with spring barley, will be in a very serious financial situation. Something must be done urgently to remedy that.

The other issue the Minister must address as a matter of urgency is the exploitation by meat factories of the situation by dropping prices substantially due to farmers trying to offload stock. Farmers are being exploited to an unbelievable extent. Factory prices have dropped significantly in recent weeks without any reason whatsoever. Confidence in targets for Food Wise 2025 and Food Harvest 2020 are being badly shaken. The way factories are treating farmers at the moment must be examined. We need practical action. Bringing forward payment dates for CAP payments, including for GLAS, would be welcome but we need practical solutions.

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