Farmers need urgent help in feed crisis – Collins

Fine Gael Cork North West Deputy, Áine Collins, has called on the banks and co-ops to help farmers in the current feed crisis.

Speaking today on C103FM Collins stressed that the situation has now reached crisis proportions.

Collins said “This is a now a crisis situation, farmers are running out of feed and the weather is not going to improve in the immediate term. Farmers need immediate access to credit facilities so that they can buy the feed that is available and some of the co-ops are being very helpful on this, but the Banks must support them and make credit available.”

Collins has personally spoken to the Head of Banking at both AIB and Bank of Ireland today (Wednesday 17th April) about the issue. They recommended that any farmers who are in trouble and need funds to buy feed for livestock should go in to their bank and that the banks will be flexible in their dealings with them.

Collins has also brought the issue to the attention of the Ceann Comhairle and hopes to have it addressed in the Dáil under Topical Issues. Collins will be seeking a postponement in the re-assessment of the Farm Assist Programme until July of this year and will also be asking that any assessment be made on the 2012 tax year rather than 2011.

“Of immediate urgency is the issue with feeding livestock right now, but we also need to look at bit further ahead as well and I believe changes to the Farm Assist assessment should be postponed temporarily at least.

“Also the tax year that the assessment is based on should be looked at. 2012 was the start of the current very bad run of weather for farmers, so basing any Farm Assist assessment on this year would be more reflective of what farmers’ incomes actually are and would be fairer in my opinion”, said Collins.

Collins can be contacted at her office in Millstreet on 029-71845 or aine.collins@oir.ie