Minister says he won’t rule anything out when it comes to helping tillage farmers

IRELAND South Fianna Fáil MEP candidate Cynthia Ní Mhurchú met with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford to raise the plight of tillage farmers in the south east recently. Ní Mhurchú called on the Minister to intervene further and support tillage farmers in the south east. Minister of State at the Department of Justice, TD for Wexford, James Browne also attended the meeting.

Ní Mhurchú emphasised the difficulties that are facing the tillage industry: “I have been meeting farmers around Wexford and across the south east, the bread basket of Ireland. I have stood in water logged fields and talked to farmers who are in desperate need of support. The weather has had a dramatic impact on tillage farmers and I made it clear to the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue that farmers in the south east need more supports.

Minister McConalogue told Cynthia Ní Mhurchú that he is monitoring the situation on a daily basis and engaging with stakeholders to ensure that the situation didn’ t deteriorate even further for tillage farmers.

According to Ní Mhurchú: “Minister McConalogue acknowledged my calls for extra supports and also acknowledged that the tillage sector is a cornerstone of the economy of the south east of Ireland. The Minister has expressly told me that he is aware of the pain that the tillage industry is going through and will be responding in kind.

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has already introduced a number of supports and measures aimed at helping tillage farmers. Those include a pause in farm inspections, the co-ordination of advisory support to maximise existing fodder stocks and a subsidy scheme to pay for the transport of fodder to farmers in need due to the persistent bad weather.