Zero take-up on fodder transport support scheme

NO completed applications for the new fodder transport support scheme have been lodged with the Agriculture Department so far.

Teagasc adviser Tom Coll said there has not been a huge amount of farmers looking to access it.

He pointed out that many were already budgeting to use a minimum amount of forage and topping it up with meal. “Whether this will change will depend on the weather,” said Mr Coll, who works in Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal.

He urged farmers to again take stock of their fodder supplies.

A feed trader in Sligo said a high volume of fodder has been bought since Christmas and farmers are drawing this out by feeding big volumes of concentrates.

The trader said the co-ops are selling round bales of silage but farmers are reluctant to buy these because of quality fears.

So far he said the fodder scheme has not impacted on their trade.

The Department said that eligible applicants would have to submit an application for the contribution towards transport, after first meeting the terms of the measure and securing the fodder through their local co-op.

Meanwhile, ICSA Cavan chair Hugh Farrell said they had received confirmation the scheme is “fully operational” in Cavan, Longford and Roscommon. “Teagasc officials are now satisfied that there are insufficient fodder supplies locally to meet the demand and therefore it must be transported in from another part of the country,” he said.