A Fine Gael senator has told the Seanad that a small number of tillage farmers will be “destroyed” financially unless they receive state support.
Tim Lombard said that “there’s thousands of acres of grain that haven’t been cut”.
“It’s now September 27, quite possibly we will not save it, most of it is lodged actually,” he said.
Tillage
Senator Lombard explained how he had walked through a 62ac field of oats in Co. Cork last Sunday (September 24).
“It wasn’t 3in tall, this crop, maybe four or five weeks ago was the bones of four feet, [now it is] bent over, tossed, destroyed,” he said.
“These farmers paid huge conacre prices, high input costs at the start of the year because fertiliser prices were through the roof, they will literally lose their shirt in the next few weeks.
“Some of it won’t be saved at all,” Lombard added.
Debate
During the order of business, the senator proposed that a debate be held in the Seanad with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue “about the potential for stepping in for the cohort of farmers that are caught”.
“It is a really small amount but they are going to be devastated, they are going to be destroyed unless we step into the arena,” he said.
“I honestly think this is a once-in-a-generational issue for the cohort of farmers that are caught, and it’s only a cohort of farmers.
“It’s only the percentage that just couldn’t get there because it wasn’t ripe,” Lombard continued.
“I think that the minister should look at the farmers from this date onwards that can’t save their crop. There should be a fund put in place because these guys will not survive unless they get some support.
“It is really unusual that on September 27, there’s grain not cut.
“Down in my part of the world there are unfortunately thousands of acres that haven’t been cut, but unless there is something done for these lads and women I don’t think there will be the opportunity for them to exist going forward,” the senator said.