Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I told her about it and gave her the details to make direct contact. I was trying to help a woman in distress. I hope these situations are in the minority.

Figures from the Department show a 26% increase in the number of animal deaths on farms in the first quarter of 2013. Some, if not all, of these were due to the fodder crisis. What we need now is the grass to grow in abundance in the coming months so we can have two, if not three, cuts of silage so the farmers' stocks can be sustained for next winter. I acknowledge the Minister's comment that if necessary he will extend transport assistance into the summer and I hope this will not be required. From my knowledge of west Cork I feel co-ops, the IFA and other farming organisations reacted to this, but it was well known in February we were facing a crisis and more could have been done.

The notion of providing €10 million or €12 million for a kitty to which everyone applies is not a great idea. I support the Minister in this regard. Last week I attended a funeral in west Cork where I spoke to several farmers who told me one or two of their neighbours had half pits of silage left and were not in crisis, but were still going to the local co-op and buying hay intended for those most in need. The distribution has not been very equitable. Perhaps the IFA, the co-ops and Teagasc could oversee it. I must be careful how I word my next point, which is that bachelor farmers are very slow to acknowledge they have a problem and very slow to come forward to ask for help. This in itself is an issue.

I have raised this issue many times on the Order of Business and called for the Minister to come to the House. He had good reasons for not being able to do so. I hope he will monitor the situation very closely in the coming weeks. When I was going through Dunmanway on Tuesday morning the temperature was 11° C at approximately 11 a.m. whereas by the time I arrived in Kildare it was 19° C. The south of Ireland has probably been hit more than anywhere else.

I must also express my deep concern for dairy farmers. As the Minister knows well, if milk output declines because of a lack of feed and bad weather it will not be restored. This is a severe concern. Perhaps, as suggested by the previous speaker, a subsidy for fertiliser could be provided to farmers. Farmers who put out fertiliser in March received no return for it because the ground was too cold, and this bag manure has probably gone to waste. Perhaps we could have an incentive to ensure farmers put out adequate fertiliser, although it is getting late, so grass will grow.

Hopefully, we can have a good summer.

I wish the Minister well with this problem, as it is not his alone – it is a national problem. I am not here to bore holes into him. Everyone should be foursquare behind the efforts and wear the green jersey, but the Minister should be acutely aware that this problem is worse than some people realise. This is why I have raised the issue in the Chamber incessantly. I have outlined my deep concerns on radio several times. I hope that whatever measures the Minister puts in place will work. If we have another bad summer, God help us next winter and spring.