Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their questions. The Ministers of State, Deputy Heydon and Senator Hackett, and I have been very proactive as a team in working with the farming organisations to address the challenges that are there and to ensure we make the preparations now in order to be secure next April and May. I brought all the farmer representatives together immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, recognising the challenges that would arise from it and the need to act now. We must do the work in these coming months that will leave us secure next year.

Alongside that, I have put in place a number of schemes to support farmers in carrying out the work. We have given a clear commitment to farmers that they will get €1,000 towards the cost of making hay and silage this year. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked me about dairy farmers, a point that Deputy Stanton has raised with me previously. We gave their inclusion great and careful consideration and took on board the advice and evidence we were given. The assessment from Teagasc is that the activity on dairy farms is very strong and the farmers are making the silage as usual.

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