Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise once again the fodder crisis. While I acknowledge a good debate was held in the Chamber last Thursday, the position has worsened since then on foot of very bad weather. First, I welcome the Minister's decision to double the transport subsidy. This has been a highly positive move since the issue was discussed in the Seanad last Thursday. I now seek the speeding up of the delivery of the fodder that is coming from France but also wish to call on any State agency that owns land banks or has them in its care. NAMA is in possession of quite an amount of land nationwide, which it could make available to the farming community, as did Shannon Airport in the past. I believe Dublin Airport has done something similar. Land banks owned by the State or by NAMA should be considered in this regard, as it would alleviate the problem somewhat for those farmers who now are in severe difficulty.