Plan for future fodder shortage

FIANNA Fáil TD for Sligo-Leitrim Marc Mac Sharry has called on the Minister for Agriculture to sanction a review of fodder stocks across the country following the recent spell of good weather so that a plan can be put in place ahead of the autumn.

He warned Minister Creed than unless proper planning measures were undertaken, farmers could face another fodder crisis this winter.

“It was great to see so many farmers and contractors out over the past two to three weeks cutting silage. They have been working incredibly hard to bring in the fodder after a long, wet winter, and hopefully the work undertaken over the last month will replenish the stocks of farms across the North West following the recent bad weather”, said Deputy Mac Sharry.

“Now is the time to assess what fodder farmers have in stock and to attempt top project whether there will enough cut over the next few weeks to take us through the winter.

“We need to learn from the mistakes of last year where farmers were put under severe financial and mental health pressure due to a lack of fodder. If following this review, it is found that we may not have enough fodder for next winter, now is the time to start sourcing stocks from other countries.

“The Department of Agriculture cannot allow a repeat of the dire situation which farmers faced last winter. I am calling on the Department, Teagasc and indeed the national farming organisations to facilitate such a review to ensure that provisions can be made, if necessary, to source additional fodder for Irish farmers”, concluded Deputy Mac Sharry.