Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This Government has been very responsive and supported farmers in times of need and in the medium to long term, by means of significant investment. The CAP, which will run up to 2027, offers 50% higher funding. That is a record increase in Government funding. Over the past two or three years, where sectors have been under pressure, be it the pig sector, the horticulture sector or the tillage sector last autumn and this spring, we have worked to support them. One of those supports was to the livestock sector last year. The year before, we provided €1,000 per family farm for the making of fodder. I was concerned because of the historically high prices of fertilisers that farmers might try to cut it tight and just make enough or in some cases take a risk by not having an excess supply in place. That is why I had it in place last year.

This year, I have committed funding to the tillage sector. The latter is the sector that is most under pressure. We have also committed additional funding to the sheep sector this year through the delivery of doubled support of an extra €20 per sheep. There are not plans for a fodder scheme this year, specifically because we have seen a significant drop in fertiliser prices compared with last year. We will work and provide the advisory support and co-ordination capacity to make sure that all in the sector now respond to make sure that fodder supplies are fully replenished for next year and indeed that stocks are strong to be able to withstand the type of long winter that we have seen over the past winter.

See this speech in context