Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator Robbie Gallagher in expressing concern about the fodder crisis. I welcome the proposal by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, to establish a fodder action group comprising the IFA, the Department, Teagasc, the co-operatives and the marts. A meeting took place last Monday which was attended by the president of the IFA, Mr. Joe Healy, and several IFA county chairpersons, including Mr. John Hanley from Creggs in County Roscommon. Over 90% of farmers in the Boyle area of north Roscommon are affected by the fodder crisis due to bad weather in the autumn. They are in dire straits. It is a real crisis and I would urge the Minister to come up with a speedy response. I am confident that he will do so and he will receive the support of this House because all Senators from rural Ireland understand the seriousness of the situation.

On the current weather crisis, I join with Senator John O'Mahony in commending the county councils who are doing their utmost in the face of very difficult conditions. They are managing to clear the national primary, secondary and regional roads but the back roads are still in pretty grim condition. However, some State agencies need to do more. Roscommon railway station, for instance, was chaotic today. There was one staff member on duty who was trying to direct traffic. No grit had been spread on roads that are the property of Iarnród Éireann. The company should be prepared for adverse weather conditions and take appropriate action from a health and safety point of view. While I commend the fact that trains are still running on time, the management of Iarnród Éireann and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, should be more involved. An action plan should be in place and when weather conditions deteriorate to a certain level, the company must ensure that railway stations and platforms are kept clear and are safe for passengers to use. As I said, there were chaotic scenes in Roscommon earlier. I wish to commend the courageous young staff member who was running the ticket office while also trying to direct traffic and prevent cars from crashing into one another. It was pretty difficult and I hope that Iarnród Éireann will take note of what has been said in Seanad Éireann today.