Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important that the point raised by Deputy Griffin and its impact are discussed in the House. I should point out that there are sufficient supplies of animal feed at present and importers are actively competing on the global market to ensure that supply continues uninterrupted. Animal feed stocks and imports are being monitored on a regular basis by my Department. What Deputy Griffin outlines is a stress and strain on farmers due to the very high input costs. Even though across a number of sectors there are very high commodity prices in many instances, it was a big stress for tillage, dairy, beef or sheep farmers to purchase either the seed for the tillage farmers or the fertiliser and all the different elements because if the price was to change after they had made that significant investment they would be very much caught out. That is why the Minister and I intervened with a number of measures valued at €91 million, so far, to assist the agrifood sector. They include the €56 million fodder support scheme and the packages for the pig sector, tillage sector and horticulture sector. The point the Deputy made regarding the budget is valid as well.

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