Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food further to Parliamentary Question No. 356 of 5 May 2010, if he will reply to the question that was asked, conscious of the facts relating to the floods in South Galway in November and December 2009; if he will provide assistance to those farmers whose lands have been rendered useless for the forth coming with loss of 2010 fodder and not 2009 fodder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19463/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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As detailed in my reply to question 356 of 5 May 2010, I introduced a Fodder Aid Scheme in November 2009, which was targeted at farmers who lost fodder due to the severe flooding in November 2009. Many of the beneficiaries of this Scheme were farmers in South Galway. I also introduced a Scheme in February 2010 to provide limited assistance to some potato and vegetable producers whose crops were severely damaged by the exceptionally harsh frost in January 2010.

I have received representations for assistance from other sectors that also experienced losses due to the unusually harsh weather in 2009 and in early 2010. However, I am not in a position to extend financial assistance to those sectors or to farmers to whom you specifically refer who may suffer consequential fodder losses this year due to their reseeded land being flooded in 2010.