Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for being here. His schedule is a very busy one and I appreciate him taking the time to respond on this Commencement matter. Everyone can agree the phrase "April showers" has taken on a whole new aspect this year, with torrential rain saturating the ground across the entire country. When people's livelihood and the welfare of their animals or crops are so seriously affected by something over which they have absolutely no control, it has to take a toll on their mental health, no matter how strong any individual might be.

Up until now there have been relatively strong supplies of extra fodder available and farmers have been helping each other out with that, which is good. However, as each day of April ticks by, these stocks deplete while the prospect of land being able to take stock or machinery remains poor and in some cases is non-existent. We will all experience tough times in our lives. Mental health problems can range from a low or a sad period to more serious depression or anxiety, with a small number of people going on to experience severe mental health problems. All farmers face increasing challenges, with falling incomes in some instances, higher costs, increased regulation and red tape, isolation and long working hours. However, it is clear the consistent rainfall we are currently experiencing affects no one more than it does the farming community. It is at such times we must support them and do so often. Farmers need to be alerted to the supports available, such as those from Mental Health Ireland, Pieta House, the HSE and other local services. I call on the Department to take a lead in this regard in order that farmers who need help can see a clear pathway to it. Farmers need to recognise the symptoms of stress, identify the causes and take steps to reduce it and, indeed, manage it. By doing these three simple things, people can improve their quality of life and make their farm a safer place. Talking about your problems is proven to have a positive impact on how you feel.

In summary, I am very concerned about the mental health of many of our farmers throughout the length and breadth of the country due to this unprecedented weather. When your livelihood depends on being able to go outside and work and be in a position to financially support your family but you cannot do those things, it has a very negative effect on an individual's mental health. That is why it is imperative the Department clearly shows a pathway to farmers to enable them to reach out and find help if they need it. I look forward to the Minister's response.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this matter. He is absolutely right; it has been a really stressful time for farmers throughout the country. It has been an unprecedentedly long winter in many ways, with animals being housed, in many cases, from last September up to today. That is the guts of a seven-month winter and puts massive pressure on farmers. Dairy farmers are going out to milk every morning and are still not able to get the cows out to grass. That means pressure. Other farmers are calving cows and lambing sheep with the weather beating down on top of them while they are perhaps trying to find a sick animal and having to deal with all that on their own. Tillage farmers are listening to the rain beating down when they are waiting to get out to plough or till and there is stress that comes along with that. Farming can be solitary and lonely these days and it is important that people support one another in a neighbourly way through that in any way they can and that they reach out. It is important that people talk and share the challenges and stresses around this.

Of course, it is really important that we at Government level recognise the pressure farmers are under and move in any way we can to support them to go through that. It is something I have been very much conscious of. I have been trying to work to prevent a situation where we are short of fodder by ensuring we are prepared in advance as best we can be.To help with that, I established the fodder and food security committee in March 2022 and gave it the remit of preparing an industry response to the supply challenges resulting from the illegal invasion of Ukraine. I recognise the work of Mike Magan as chairman of that committee. The committee has been meeting and working closely with all agricultural stakeholders and farm organisations on the committee and with Teagasc under the leadership of Frank O'Mara. It has had meetings over the course of the autumn and into the winter. It had a meeting on 29 March and, very recently, on 9 April. The committee has concluded that, notwithstanding the difficulties being experienced by some farmers, there are, overall, sufficient stocks of fodder in the country and available to purchase.

With ground conditions being particularly challenging, there is grass in the fields, but until they dry up, farmers are struggling to use it. Teagasc is giving advice on how it can be best utilised in the meantime.

I have tasked Teagasc with helping and providing support to farmers who are short of fodder to get supply locally, if at all possible. It has set up a register and, so far, there have been twice as many offers of fodder as people asking for it. That is encouraging and reflects the fodder committee's feeling there is enough fodder in the country. It is important that support continues.

I ran a fodder scheme least year where I paid up to €1,000 per farm to make up to 25 acres of silage or hay to make sure we had enough stock in the country and were as prepared as possible for a long winter. Farmers responded well to that and 67,000 farmers applied for the scheme. Farmers worked hard and made a lot of fodder. That has been important in ensuring through this long winter there are stocks in the country and, unlike 2013 and 2018, we do not have to import.

There may be a shortage in some parts of the country. I put in place last week a transport subsidy scheme of €30 per round bale or €40 per tonne of silage to help farmers with transport where necessary. However, the first preference is to get it locally.

The tillage sector is under particular pressure. At the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis last weekend, I announced my commitment to delivering €100 per hectare for all farmers who put seed in the ground for this year's crop, either winter cereals or looking at planting now if the weather improves. That is a commitment of €100 per hectare for all tillage ground and all field crops and field vegetables, which I will find the money for. I give that commitment to tillage farmers so they know what is facing them and have confidence, in a difficult year, to plant and get the crop in the ground.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response. Like myself, he was born and raised on a farm so I know he gets this and knows exactly what we are talking about. As he alluded to, farming can be a lonely occupation where people work on their own and have a lot of time to think. At this time, farmers and their families are under severe mental health pressure. It is incumbent on us to make sure any farmer experiencing difficulty knows there is a clear pathway for them and help out there. I plead with anybody not to suffer alone and to reach out for the help that is there. I thank all the organisations offering help to farmers. It is good to talk, as the old adage goes.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I know Senator Gallagher is a strong advocate for the farming community across his Cavan-Monaghan constituency and is in tune with farmers there and the pressure they are under. It has been a difficult year in his locality, as it has been in many other parts of the country. We have been conscious of that in government. As Minister I have worked to make sure we have responded as this has evolved, working closely with all stakeholders through the fodder committee, tasking Teagasc to provide support, introducing the fodder transport scheme and, most recently, introducing the €100/ha for tillage farmers and those who plant crops for harvest in 2024.I have also paused all non-essential farm inspections until 22 April to give some breathing space to farmers, understanding the stresses they are under at this time.

We will continue to support farmers at Government level in every way we can, but it is also important that farmers at local level watch out for one another and give that support, because it has been a challenging time and it was a hell of a long winter. Looking outside today, we hope the weather will continue to improve as the week goes on and that things will look up, but we do not know that will be the case and it is important we share our challenges in the meantime.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his support. We all know he is there.