Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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181. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he has evaluated the impact of the fodder shortage on the farming sector in all regions throughout the country; the extent to which it has been possible to make available emergency supplies; the extent to which the provisions to date in this regard have been sufficient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21789/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The fodder issue is something that my Department has been monitoring and dealing with for months at this stage. To help alleviate the difficulties being encountered by farmers, I established the €1 million Transport Fodder Scheme. Since the scheme was announced over 900 loads of fodder have been received or ordered. I am satisfied that this volume of imports is making a real difference on farms and assisting farmers through the fodder shortage. More recently I announced an extension in the duration of the Imported Fodder Transport Scheme to Friday 10th May, and a broadening of its scope to include maize silage. All fodder ordered in advance of that date will be supported by this scheme. The amounts of such supplies will require notification to my Department prior to 10th May and approval for coverage under the scheme.

My Department is evaluating the current fodder situation on an ongoing basis. As changes can and do occur on an almost daily basis, adjustments are made as and when they are required.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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182. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which his Department has monitored animal mortality arising from the feed shortage caused by the long winter and inclement spring weather conditions; if any particular steps can be taken to make provision for the future in this regard in the event of continued poor weather conditions in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21790/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is monitoring animal mortality on an ongoing basis. There has been an increase of over 20% this Spring when compared to the same period in 2012. While access to fodder is an immediate priority, grass growth in the months ahead will be the key to ensuring that this problem is overcome. In this regards I have asked Teagasc's advisory service to prioritise advice to farmers in the period ahead and to focus on the optimum use of fertiliser in generating feed for the national herd.

An Early Warning System, which is overseen by the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC) and operated from my Department, has been in place for some time to respond to queries from farmers who are facing emergency animal welfare situations and are in need of support. Feed is being sourced and provided to any farmer who is dealing with an animal welfare crisis and is in need of assistance.

Over 500 calls have been received to date through the system. The vast majority of calls are being adequately supported through fodder being made available under the transport subsidy scheme but a small portion of farmers, in need of more substantial support have been assisted directly by the Department. In excess of 100 farmers have received emergency financial assistance to the value of €180 - €1,000 under this system.

My Department's Veterinary Inspectors continue to be actively engaged in providing emergency assistance under the Department's early warning system to farmers whose animals are currently experiencing serious welfare issues and where the farmer him/herself is unable to cope with the situation.

I want to remind farmers that the animal welfare emergency assistance helpline continues to operate where animal welfare is seriously at risk. The emergency helpline number - 1850 21 19 90 (Low-call). No animal should die of starvation in this country and help is available to those farmers who cannot cope. I will continue to work with all stakeholders in the sector to get through this difficult period caused by very unusual weather patterns.

The onus of compliance with EU food safety regulations, including traceability requirements, rests in the first instance with food business operators. My Department maintains a permanent presence in approved slaughter plants. Regular visits are made to other Department approved meat plants. The frequency of these inspections in plants other than slaughter plants, which focus primarily on food safety requirements, is determined by a risk assessment, as required under EU legislation, which is conducted for each plant. My Department has been able to reduce the number of inspections at non-slaughter meat plants, where there is no permanent supervisory presence, by moving to a more robust and rigorous targeted system of official controls, based on the risk assessments mentioned above. Official controls and inspections levels are monitored independently by the EU Food and Veterinary Office and by the FSAI under service contract.

Food business operators in Ireland are responsible inter alia for carrying out checks to ensure that their ingredients come from approved plants. In meat plants that operate under the supervision of the Department, official controls are conducted on these checks to verify their effectiveness. An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department approved meat plant. Labelling and documentary checks also form part of the routine checks conducted by Department officials.

Under the Department’s National Residue Programme, and including tests on bovine samples carried out by processors, up to 30,000 samples taken at farm and factory level and covering a wide range of food stuffs are tested annually. These tests relate to microbiological and chemical standards, their primary focus being on food safety and are fully in accordance with EU testing requirements. In addition the Product Official Sampling and Testing (POST) programme is a microbiological testing programme on samples taken from Department approved ready-to-eat food, meat product, minced meat and meat preparation plants i.e. added value plants. This is part of the official verification of food safety controls in the plants concerned as provided for in Regulations (EC) 852/2004, 854/2004 and 2073/2005. A total of 1,600 samples are taken annually and the sampling and testing is risk based.

Compliance with existing food safety and food hygiene requirements was not an issue in relation to the mislabelling of meat products uncovered by the recent FSAI survey. It is clear however that the focus of checks henceforth will also need to include food authenticity. The ongoing national programme and recent EU wide programme of DNA testing provides further reassurance to Irish consumers and consumers of Irish food abroad about the authenticity of ingredients in our beef based products

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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183. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if arising from the experience of the past two years where poor weather conditions have affected the production of adequate animal fodder, any particular initiatives are likely to focus on production methods most likely to succeed in the event of poor weather conditions in the coming season with particular reference to husbandry and animal feed production methods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21791/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the situation stands Teagasc is dispensing substantial amounts of technical/nutritional information in terms of fodder needs on farms arising from the difficult weather situation prevailing from summer 2012. Teagasc advisors are working with farmers on the ground to provide advice as to how to stretch existing fodder supplies and are available to support farmers in need of assistance.

Farm organisations are also working at a local level with farmers, disseminating information through text messages, advising farmers with surplus fodder to make it available on a commercial basis to their neighbours who have fodder shortages and sourcing fodder abroad. The Irish Diary Board, IFA and agri-businesses launched more than €3m of extra fodder aid for farmers this week. The co-ops have also agreed to consider the introduction of interest free credit, within limits, to farmers for the purchase of fertiliser, limited to the month of May. A number of co-ops have confirmed participation in this initiative. This is aimed at ensuring farmers are supported in driving grass production in the months ahead providing fodder for next winter. Grass is the cheapest fodder source on all farms. In this regard I have asked Teagasc’s advisory service to prioritise advice to farmers in the period ahead.

While access to fodder is a priority, grass growth in the months ahead will be the key to ensuring that this problem is overcome. I have been in regular contact with the banks, co-ops and feed merchants and I have urged the greatest degree of flexibility, co–operation and support for farmers at this challenging time given the difficult conditions being experienced by many farmers. Both banks and co-ops have asked farmers to contact them to discuss the terms that are available and have indicated that they will show flexibility on the basis that the longer term outlook for farming is positive and prices are strong across most areas.