Europe needs to work together to tackle the crises in the fodder and tillage sectors across the bloc, according to Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher.

The MEP also called for food security to be on the agenda for the European Council.

MEP Kelleher said: “It’s clear that it’s not just Ireland suffering from a very hot summer.

"We are already hearing stories of Hungarian tillage farmers seeing 50-60% reduction in yields.

“Maize crop yields across Europe will be severely depleted which will undermine massively European fodder reserves.”

National Fodder and Food Security Committee

The MEP also called for the reactivation of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC), which was initially set up by the Irish government in 2022 to respond to the disruption caused by the war in Ukraine.

The committee was tasked by with preparing an industry response, contingency plans and advice to assist farmers in managing their farm enterprises through a period of high input price inflation and potential supply pressures.

MEP Kelleher said: “Now is the time to re-establish the Fodder and Food Security Committee, under the auspices of Teagasc, to assess in real time what is happening on the ground across Ireland.“Yields in every crop are under threat.

“Not only will this cause fodder challenges, but it will also lead to inflation in the supermarkets for ordinary families, at a time when they simply cannot afford an extra cost.”

European Commission

MEP Kelleher added that while the Irish government can “mitigate certain issues” but the issue is "bigger than one or two countries".

He added that the fodder and feed issues need to be addressed at a pan-European level “by the European Commission in conjunction with the member state governments”.MEP Kelleher said: “Ireland now holds the presidency of the (European) council.

"We should be ready and willing to add it to the council agenda if the situation continues to deteriorate.“As Fianna Fáil MEPs, we have been quite clear that food security is part of European resilience.

"Now is the time to show that the EU can respond to the needs of all citizens, sectors and countries.”

Co-ops

Separately, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) called on Friday (August 14) for the NFFSC to meet "without further delay".

It said: "The prolonged dry period is having an extreme effect in parts of the south, south-east and midlands, whereas in other regions, growing conditions in some parts are under pressure and in other areas are relatively normal.

"This is due to the uneven rainfall patterns experienced over the past number of weeks."

The organisation said that a "joined-up" stakeholder response under the Fodder and Food Security Committee - with input from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc, co-operatives, and farm organisations - has played "a crucial role" in the past.