Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise an issue I raised previously, as have others. That is the fodder crisis facing farmers. It is a very serious issue, particularly in the Border counties and the west. Teagasc recently conducted a survey in those affected areas. It claimed that 60% to 70% of farmers surveyed were of the opinion that they were going to be short of fodder now and for the remainder of the year. I echo calls made by the ICMSA and the IFA for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, to get a grip on this situation before it is too late. They have highlighted a number of issues that could potentially assist farmers in a difficult situation. Fodder has been sourced in the south of the country but there are large costs associated with transporting it. The ICMSA and the IFA are looking for a transport subsidy to assist farmers get the fodder to their farms. They are also proposing that a livestock meal voucher system is introduced for farmers that are most acutely affected.

Farmers are under severe pressure. It is a stressful situation because they do not know how their animals are going to be fed at the end of this year. I ask that the Minister, Deputy Creed, come into the House to address what measures he intends to introduce so that farmers will get compensated, in some shape or form, for the fodder that they are going to have to purchase to keep their cattle alive.