ICMSA warn of ‘unprecedented pressures’ as fodder famine looms

ICMSA President Pat McCormack said that the overwhelming response being fed back at the series of emergency meetings held in Cork, Carlow, Kildare, Wexford, Kilkenny and others over the last week or so has been the need to move forward immediately with a series of measures to address what will be a national fodder shortfall but one that will be particularly felt in the south-east and up the eastern seaboard. Mr McCormack said that the situation was being monitored on a county-by-county basis but there was some hope that the western seaboard will “with fortune, forbearance and careful planning” be someway stable, he noted, however, that there was no confidence about the Midlands, North-East and the traditionally drier South-east: “What we are getting back ‘ loud and clear’ is that farmers want to know that there is a clear and coherent plan that is already being put into place.

They are realistic and know that no one can wave a wand and fill pits and sheds, but equally they know that every day that’s lost now through lack of action and coherent policy could be very, very costly next February or March.

They need to know that the Department’s been looking at the kind of options I outlined earlier this week – a Fodder Transport/ Import Scheme as well as a scheme for grassland farmers similar to that introduced for tillage last week. I do think as well that we’ ll have to consider an incentive for an Early Slaughter Scheme and pull out all the stops on live exports.

But more than anything else, we have to see a concerted effort by all parties to keep farm prices and revenues up so that there’s something with which to pay the extra feed bills that look likely to be coming through the door this back end and certainly into Q1 of 2020”.