Speech during Private Members Business on the Fodder Crisis

As it is my first time to speak in the House, I take this opportunity, first, to thank the people of Meath East for allowing me the privilege and the honour of representing them in Dáil Éireann. I also take this time to acknowledge the work and the effort that was put in by my Fine Gael colleagues, the Fine Gael members and also by my family and my campaign team in getting me elected to this House. I am honoured to be following in my father’s footsteps. I would also like to thank the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for his support throughout the campaign. He very generously gave of his time on two separate occasions to meet members of the farming community and Meath farmers. The amount of attention and dedication he showed towards them in ensuring their views and opinions were heard on various different matters has not gone unnoticed.

Having grown up on a farm, having been part of a farming family and having worked in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with my Dad for more than two years, it is only appropriate that as I speak for the first time in this House it is on such an important issue and on this issue in particular. The fodder shortage is a national crisis and one that unfortunately Meath East has not escaped. Meath occupies an area of more than 230,000 hectares of which 180,000 are used for agricultural purposes only. We have a long-standing reputation for having green fields and pastures, many of which are capable of supporting a wide variety of agricultural activities but unfortunately due to the bad weather, the bad winter and the cold spring, our roads are not the only places that have taken a beating in the past few months. I acknowledge that the weather has got a little better. We have seen a little growth, even around my house the grass has grown, but farmers are putting their livestock out and any bit of growth there has been disappears straightaway.

I want to acknowledge the efforts that have been made by the farming community, the farming co-operatives and Teagasc. They have come together and worked on this issue. They have shown a great deal of solidarity but the Department’s intervention has been needed and it was sought and given. I hope the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, that a further 170 loads of hay and silage that will be imported into the country next week on top of the 600 loads that have already come in will provide access to fodder and assist as many farmers as possible. The extension of the imported fodder under the transport fodder scheme with assistance from the transport subsidy has already assisted many farmers especially in County Meath and it will provide further relief for farmers. Unfortunately it is hard not to get caught out with the weather in Ireland. It is about as predictable as the national lottery numbers.

I commend the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and his Department on their quick reaction to this problem. He has repeatedly said that any farmer who has had a problem in accessing funds, in talking to their banks or their neighbours or who feel that they cannot cope can contact the Department and any of the other organisations which will help them. No animal should be allowed to starve in this instance and I would hate to see that happen unnecessarily. I have no doubt that the measures that have been taken to tackle this problem will have a knock-on effect later in the year in case we have bad weather again.