‘Stop neglecting our family farms’ - Martin Ferris

KERRY Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris has said family farms are being ‘blackguarded and neglected.’

Speaking last Tuesday in the Dáil, Deputy Ferris said;

“I came from a small family farm and that is what I am proud of, but the small family farm is being blackguarded and neglected.”

“The family farm is an integral part of rural Ireland and Irish society. Making it sustainable is a key aim for the future of our country. We cannot allow circumstances to arise where only the big, industrialised farmer can survive and the small family farm goes to the wall for lack of foresight and planning to avoid crises.

“Sinn Féin calls on the Government to properly compensate and support our farming community for their losses during this crisis.”

“Sinn Féin have been calling for action on this issue for years. Since last September, we warned the Minister of the number of farmers who had being unable to get second cuts of silage and had to house cattle early due to severe rain in August and September.”

“Last October we warned of a looming crisis but our concerns were dismissed by Minister Creed who continued to claim that there was no crisis and that there was lots of fodder in the country.”

“In December, farmers, mostly in Donegal but including some from the Southwest, contacted Teagasc in relation to the fodder shortages, with the majority of them having a 50 per cent shortfall in fodder. We warned that the Fodder Action Group that was proposed was kicking the can down the road; but our warning fell on deaf ears.

“In January of this year we called again on the Minister to provide meal vouchers to help subsidise the cost of meal which is a feed that farmers can be assured of the quality of what they are getting.”

Deputy Martin Ferris