Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. Unlike Senator O’Donovan, I am delighted in a way that the Minister has been elsewhere. Between the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, the horsemeat crisis, the Presidency and a million other issues, I suspect the Minister has been quite busy. I was disappointed that he was unable to attend the Seanad in the middle of the horsemeat crisis, but I understand that there are moments when it is difficult to do so when there are so many balls in the air. I would rather the Minister was sorting out the situation for farmers instead of discussing how he will do so with us. Criticism of that type is unhelpful.

It is fair to say that this is more than a fodder crisis. It is a national crisis. Given the fact that the industry has exports worth €8 billion, any problem should be framed in the sense of a national crisis. I am unsure whether the public has grasped its seriousness. The idea that a gap is being filled with a few bales of hay and bags of grain does not reflect what we are facing. It is not just a question of food for animals now, but of future food security. The world’s food security and Ireland’s contribution to same is one of the issues that the Minister’s Department must grapple with in the coming five, ten and 15 years. If we must import foodstuffs, we will be on the back foot in terms of our global role.

I pay tribute to the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, ICMSA, the Irish Dairy Board and the co-ops for rallying around and recognising that this problem must be addressed. I do not want to speak any further without paying tribute to their efforts in trying to help farmers directly. The Department’s helpline is a good one, but people are reluctant to use it. I do not know how to get around that issue. Perhaps there is another way to frame the telephone line so that people can decide it is for them instead of watching their animals die. The Minister knows the figures. Animal deaths occur every year, but they have increased significantly this year. If the helpline is not helping, should we rearrange how it looks so that people can access it?

People have come forward and been of assistance in providing a stopgap measure, but the question facing the Minister is what to do in future. There is drought in New Zealand and rain in Ireland. Around the world, climate patterns are shifting year to year. Forgive me if the Minister has already done what I am about to recommend, but could he set up a climate pattern committee as a subset of the high-level implementation committee on Food Harvest 2020? The committee could include members of Met Éireann and farm advisers on the ground as opposed to the head people who must always attend these meetings. Perhaps banks should also be involved so that they can plan ahead. AIB and other banks have set €50 million aside and I applaud the fact that the Minister has urged them to keep their promise on supporting farmers with working capital and, where appropriate, restructured loans. There should be a proper committee to determine seriously how the country will cope with climate change and its knock-on effects. For example, using fertiliser in wetter climates has an effect on waterways, etc. Should the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and so on be involved in the committee?

The crisis has played out in slow motion since last summer and it is almost clear that there will be a crisis next year and possibly the following year. I would love to be wherever Senator O’Donovan has been hoping for a third silage cut. I suspect that many farmers would be grateful for one and will not even get near having a third cut.