Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The big issue for farmers and contractors throughout the country at present is supply of fertiliser and supply of fuel. For instance, I talked to one contractor who needs 10, 000 l of fuel to get crops in over the next ten days but has only been given 1,500 l. Is there any mechanism, or is the Department involved in any way, to make sure there is an adequate fuel supply for those contractors and for those who have a large acreage of cereals to put in place?

Likewise, fertiliser was approximately €270 or €300 per tonne last year and is now more than €1,000 per tonne, which is a major challenge, as is the level of supply. Is the Minister satisfied that enough is being done to make sure we can get supply into this country for the dairy sector and, in particular, the tillage sector, especially over the next two weeks?

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