Farm News

Noel Coonan TD has welcomed Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney’s decision to subsidise the transport of fodder sourced in the United Kingdom which co-ops in Ireland have agreed to sell to Irish farmers at cost price.

The local Fine Gael TD said this €1m transport fund will pay for the transport of lorry loads of bales into Ireland and will come as a big relief to Tipperary farmers who are experiencing an acute shortage of fodder.

The co-ops have also agreed on interest free credit to farmers for the purchase of fertiliser, limited to the month of May.

“Being a farmer myself, I am pleased these measures will take some pressure off Tipperary farmers. The Department has also advised inspectors to act sensitively over the next number of weeks.

“We have experienced a bad summer, a prolonged winter and with the possibility of further bad weather, it is important fodder stocks are built up. Application forms and terms and conditions will be made available through the co-ops in the coming days.

Alongside this, the Minister has topped up the Animal Welfare Fund meaning no animal will starve. The emergency number for this fund is 1850 211 990 or 01 6072379 and it will help farmers who cannot feed their livestock.

“Seven hundred payments issued last week including AEOS payments to farmers and processing of outstanding scheme payments as promptly as possible. Fine Gael in Government recognises the hard work Tipperary farmers have been carrying out to make local arrangements for the provision of fodder. It has been a tough time for Tipperary farmers and they deserve all the support possible,” concluded Deputy Coonan.

More Must be Done

To Assist Farmers-Lowry

Deputy Michael Lowry has called on the Government to take further steps to ease the burden on strained farmers as a result of the on-going fodder crisis. Whilst the Independent T.D. for Tipperary welcomed the transport scheme that has been put in place by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney T.D, he stated that more must be done and a greater leniency afforded to farmers at this difficult time.

Deputy Lowry explained;

“Farmers have had a nightmare year due to unprecedented and relentlessly poor weather conditions. Whilst there is now some light at the end of the tunnel farmers are still struggling to get back on their feet and return to normal practise. Many have been forced to rack up enormous bills to pay for fodder to maintain their stock. They have been scrambling for feed and have been under huge pressure for a significant period of time. The Government have been shockingly slow to bring forward any assistance to farmers in this time of crisis and as a result many farmers are in a desperate state. It will take time for these farmers to recover fully and the Department must be cognisant of this.”

“It is my belief that more can, and should be done, to ease this burden on farmers. Simple steps can be put in place that will have a real impact. I believe that all outstanding payments must be made as a matter of priority. Furthermore some leniency and understanding should prevail with regards to the submission of Single Farm Payment Applications. The deadline for the submission of these forms draws ever nearer but many farmers simply have not had the time to deal with this paper work and find themselves under pressure to now get these forms completed. This is particularly true for those farmers who will not be submitting their application online but rather through the postal system. The Minister should allow these forms to be submitted through local DVO offices.”

“I would also urge the Minister to extend the transport scheme to cover livestock co-operative marts and private merchants. The Dairy Co-ops have been leading the charge and have been pro-active in tackling the fodder crisis. Unfortunately not all farmers are serviced by the Dairy Co-ops and the scheme should be extended to ensure that all farmers are covered by the transport scheme.”

Pesticides Ban Welcomed

By Green Party

Green Party Spokesperson for Environment, Councillor Malcolm Noonan welcomed the EU decision to ban three pesticides, considered to be responsible for the decline in global bee populations: “This has been a great step forward to protect the bee populations that are essential for both agriculture and wildlife.

“The only regret is that our own Minister for Agriculture decided not to vote for the change and instead positioned Ireland behind big corporate rather than environmental interests.

“How can we be out there presenting our country with a Green image if we are the bad guys when it comes to passing progressive legislation in the European Council Chamber.

“The three banned pesticides have been linked to the decline in bee populations across the world which is threatening a whole range of crops which require bees to help pollination.”

“This is a temporary ban which we would like to see made permanent and we hope when it comes back to a future vote that the Irish Government not be letting our country and our environment down.” Councillor Noonan concluded.