Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. He is here to speak about the impacts on farming arising from the war in Ukraine. We have heard today and for recent weeks about millions in Ukraine starving, desperate for food and in dire straits. They are starving in a country that is, as has been mentioned, the bread basket of Europe. President Zelenskiy is asking those farmers to stay in the country and farm. Farmers are trying to continue, in some cases in conflict areas, and are putting their lives at risk. The average farm size in Ukraine is thousands of acres and exports have been banned because the country needs to feed its own population, so farmers cannot export grain. Russia is now trying to take over the ports, which will mean there will be no possibility of export. On Euronews, a Ukrainian farmer, Serhiy Vakhnyuk, talked about how life goes on. Calves are being born and farmers and vets have been given an exemption by President Zelenskiy. He spoke about how the soldiers have their battles and how farmers have their own battles to keep people fed.

Ireland earlier expelled Russian diplomats - three other European countries have done the same - and made a clear statement, as did the Minister, that it was because they had breached international standards of diplomatic behaviour under the Vienna Convention.

For farming in Ireland, too, we have to battle. We have to battle for commodities that are now at prices that were way beyond anyone's conception prior to the war. It is beyond control. Farmers are having to focus on having enough feed for their cattle and fertiliser for their land to ensure they will be able to survive and we can look after animal welfare in the months ahead. The Minister stated that Teagasc had carried out a survey in which tillage and dairy farmers had secured their fertiliser requirements for the moment, while drystock farmers, many of whom plan on spreading less fertiliser, are finding it difficult to secure their fertiliser requirements. He went on to state that whatever farmers plan to breed, they must plan to feed. Given everything that has happened through Covid, the lockdown and a war, when we do not know what will happen in the weeks ahead, how on earth will farmers be able to plan for five or six months when they do not know what the price of fertiliser or feed will be? We are trying to give warnings to say this situation is volatile. It is clear, even from the Minister's contribution, that certain sections of the industry are finding it difficult. I welcome the investment he announced regarding the €12 million for tillage farmers. We are all broadly from the same part of the world, but how many limestone areas are there in the west?It is said that small parts of farms can be dedicated to this but how much fertiliser is going to be needed in some of those areas to be able to bring tillage on? These are some of my main concerns.

I appreciate there is a rapid response unit within the Department and the Minister has been very focused in convening the national food and fodder security committee. Teagasc has been looking at nutrient-rich areas and will be issuing guidance and advice to farmers.

How will farming families be supported in the months ahead? Farmers are under enormous stress and there are huge levels of anxiety among the farming community. I would like to see the Department engaging with Macra na Feirme on the ground, as well as with Teagasc and farm advisers.

This is not an easy time and the Minister has a very difficult task in the months ahead. We will support him in that. As Senator Murphy said, his visits to the west and all around the country were very welcome. I also wish to acknowledge the work of the officials in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. They held a meeting in Ballinasloe recently, part of which I was able to attend and it was very important that they met people on the ground. As the Minister has said, we have to plan ahead. The CAP was originally designed to ensure food security for our nation. Perhaps the Department's regional meetings could happen again in six or eight months' time, when we will have a better understanding of the situation. In some cases, the regional meetings are not due to take place again until early next year.

I thank the Minister for his time. The situation is extremely difficult and we all have to work together. Farmers are trying to plan for first, second and third cuts, not knowing what fertiliser they will be able to get or whether they will have silage for the winter. We have faced fodder crises in this country previously and farmers from different parts of the country delivered what they could to those who were short. They gave to others when there were shortages of feed and fodder. There must be a whole-of-government approach to this and a whole-of-country response to support farmers in different parts of the country. I hope that will be part of our plans, going forward.