Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow morning a big storm will hit Ireland, in particular the south west, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thousands of acres of grain have not been cut. It is now 27 September. It is quite possible we will not save that grain, although most of it is lodged. I walked a 62-acre field of oats last Sunday that was not three inches tall. Maybe four or five weeks ago, this crop was the bones of 4 feet high. It has been bent over, tossed and destroyed. These farmers paid huge conacre prices and had high input costs at the start of the year because fertiliser prices were through the roof. They will lose their shirt in the next few weeks. Some of the crop will not be saved at all. In some areas, because of weather and soil conditions, farmers will not come out with 2 cwt per acre from the entire portfolio of land they have.I honestly think this is a once in a generational issue for the cohort of farmers who are caught, and it is only a cohort farmers. It is only the percentage who just could not get there because it was not ripe. The Minister should look at the farmers from this date onwards who cannot save their crop. A fund should be put in place because these guys will not survive unless they get some support. It is really unusual that on 27 September there is grain that has not been cut. In my part of the country, unfortunately, thousands of acres have not been cut. Unless something is done for these lads and women, there will be not be an opportunity for them to exist going forward. We should have a debate with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine about the potential of stepping in for the cohort of farmers who are caught. It is a really small amount, but they are going to be devastated. They will be destroyed unless we step into the arena.