Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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748. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the engagement that he and his Department have had with an organisation (details supplied) regarding winter finishing and the impact that the rise in feeding costs will have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52928/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department and I engage regularly with stakeholders, including the organisation referred to, on a range of issues.

The current situation in relation to the cost and availability of farm inputs is a significant concern and one that I am acutely aware of, and it has been at the forefront of stakeholder engagement since the beginning of the crisis. I know that winter finishers are facing a season of increased costs.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine led to significant hikes in energy, feed and fertiliser prices and significant concerns around supply chain disruption.

Earlier in the crisis, I established the National Fodder and Food Security Committee to prepare an industry response to the emerging crisis in feed, fodder, fertiliser and other inputs, and to develop contingency plans and advice to assist farmers in managing their farm enterprises. This Committee includes the relevant key stakeholders, including the organisation referred to by the Deputy. This Group continues to meet and I will continue to engage closely with the sector as we work together on these significant challenges.

Within the Department, I established a Rapid Response Team, chaired by the Secretary General, to actively monitor the impacts on agri-food supply chains and to contribute to the whole- of- Government response to this crisis.

I launched the 2022 Soils, Nutrients and Fertiliser Campaign in January in response to the unprecedented fertiliser price levels. This credible roadmap, which I tasked Teagasc in developing, will help alleviate reduce their dependency on chemical fertiliser in the longer-term. Teagasc has also issued revised advice to farmers on the recommended application amounts of fertilisers for silage fields to reflect the increase in fertiliser price.

Given Ireland’s dependence on imported feed, I announced a package of targeted interventions for the tillage sector and a multi-species sward initiative worth over €12 million to support Irish farmers on 22nd March.

The package supports the growing of additional tillage and protein crops and the establishment of multi-species swards, lowering demand for chemical fertiliser. Following on from the package of measures announced in recent months to provide support to Irish farmers, I launched a €56 million Fodder Support Scheme on 15th June 2022. This pays successful applicants up to €1,000 each to help with the saving of hay and silage. This popular scheme will be in place again next year.

We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and actively engage with the EU Commission, across Government and with industry as this situation unfolds.

As the Deputy is aware, I am committed to supporting our farm families and their businesses through this very challenging period.