Crisis is a result of ‘eight-month winter’

THE PRESIDENT of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has said the current fodder crisis facing the farming sector throughout the country is as a result of an ‘eight month winter’.

Speaking to the People Newspaper, Pat McCormack, said that fodder stocks that are on farms are seriously depleted because of them being used ‘well ahead of schedule’.

He said he used 120 bales in September that he would normally not have to use until the first week in December.

‘That’s how far ahead of ourselves we’ve had to go with the fodder and it means the stocks are now just not there,’ he said.

He also said livestock need a balanced diet and there is now a real danger of animals not getting that.

‘I’ve been dairy farming for over 20 years and I’ve never seen it as bad as this,’ he said.

Lack of grass growth is another factor contributing to the overall crisis: ‘The grass is only growing at one-eight of what it normally does.’ Mr McCormack said animals can’t be let out to graze until there is good growth, however, he said if there is good weather for ‘any decent period of time’ that situation could be turned around but the Government needs to realise the gravity of the situation and that the implementation of an importation scheme, like the one in 2013, had to happen without delay.

‘In reality this issue began when the weather broke last August,’ he said.

‘It’s effectively been an eightmonth winter for us and because a lot of the fodder was not fit to harvest it’s just gone back into the ground or was left to rot,’ he added.

‘It’s a very difficult situation and farmers need help to overcome it.’