The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said that a scheduled meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) tomorrow (Friday, March 28) must kickstart an emergency response to the ongoing difficulties facing farmers amid continuing heavy rainfall.
President of the ICSA, Sean McNamara said: “With any hope of an early spring well and truly dashed, and any fodder reserves dwindling fast, it is clear this committee needs to rapidly reassess the current situation on the ground.”
The farm organisation president has called for the committee to consider the extent of the fodder shortages and the impact of continued wet weather on farming operations.
The online meeting is set to take place on tomorrow morning at 11:00 when committee will receive an update from Teagasc across grassland tillage farms; a situation report from the committee members and a summary of the situation across the country.
“Crops are not going in the ground and cattle cannot be put out to graze due to saturated ground conditions,” McNamara continued.
“All this is causing enormous stress and is putting serious financial pressure on farm families. The situation is dire; it can no longer be ignored, and it will require a rapid emergency response.
Ensuring the resilience of farms and the well-being of farm families in the coming weeks is paramount.”
Fodder emergency
McNamara also said that the inability of drystock farmers to access credit is a major factor in the current fodder crisis.
“The reality is, we have a financial crisis as well as a fodder crisis. If farmers need to access credit in order to feed livestock, then there needs to be flexibility shown from lenders and co-ops alike.
The government needs to get real on securing greater flexibility on short-term finance for all farmers,” he added.
The ICSA has called for tomorrow’s meeting to kickstart a coordinated response to the situation on the ground.
“The time for talking around the difficulties facing farmers is over and we want to see real action in the form of initiatives that will offer immediate assistance to farmers,” McNamara stressed.
The association said that this must include guarantees around access to short-term credit for all farmers, the provision of emergency meal vouchers, the establishment of a fodder support scheme, and the curtailment of inspections.