Written answers

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Agriculture Industry

Photo of Colm BurkeColm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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234. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to the introduction of a tillage scheme to incentivise tillage farmers to grow catch crops which would provide significant additional fodder for the Irish livestock sector during the winter months where there is difficulty with affordability and availability of meal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28210/22]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that I established the National Fodder and Food Security Committee in March of this year.  I tasked the Committee with preparing a multi-sectoral response to identify those issues that will arise for feed, fodder, fertiliser and other inputs, and to develop contingency plans and advice to assist farmers in managing their farm enterprises.  

Central at that time was the announcement of the Targeted Intervention Package which identified three key pillars aimed at supporting Irish families arising both from events in Ukraine and wider global price volatility. The package seeks to  incentivise the planting of additional tillage crops through the Tillage Incentive Scheme and introduces supports to encourage farmers to grow protein crops in 2022. Supporting domestic production of tillage and protein crops is a key mechanism in reducing Ireland’s reliance on imported feed materials.

The Package also included a Multi-Species Sward Initiative and a Red Clover Silage Measure to promote environmentally sustainable methods of farming, and thereby reduce nitrogen fertiliser usage, while maintaining forage yield.

I have also brought forward a Memorandum for Information to Government on 3rd May 2022 on a proposed Fodder Support Scheme, with the objective of supporting farm families to conserve silage and hay this year to ensure that nationally we have adequate stocks of fodder over next winter. This scheme will require approval from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department is continuing to engage with that Department on the funding aspects of the scheme. 

Acknowledging the timely announcement of the various measures to date, the National Fodder and Food Security Committee will continue to advise me in the coming months on issues relating to the security of supply of fodder for the coming winter including advice on what catch crops may have to offer.

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