There is “a responsibility on every farmer to try and ensure he has enough fodder in the yard for the winter ahead”, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Francie Gorman has said.
Speaking to Agriland at an IFA meeting in Cavan this week (Thursday, August 8) the IFA president said there remains “a concern” amongst farmers regarding fodder supplies for this winter.
He acknowledged that grass growth has improved over the past three weeks but said that the advice to farmers around the country would be “try make as much winter fodder as you can between now and the end of the grazing season”.
The IFA president agreed that fodder supply is a bigger concern in some areas of the country than others.
He called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue “to ensure that any incentive that’s needed to try move fodder from A to B – that that’s there as well”.
Gorman also suggested that every farmer who is concerned about their fodder supply “should use the Teagasc fodder calculator and work out how much fodder they need for the winter, where they are at the moment and how much extra fodder they need going into the winter and try and make sure they have it put in place”.
The farm lobby group president was speaking to Agriland while as he attended an IFA event which took place on the farm of Joe and Aidan Brady in Larah, Co. Cavan.
The event focused on the benefits to farmers with high electricity usages of installing solar panels and the grant funding available and potential savings were outlined.
Farmers also heard about progress on reducing emissions on Irish farms and improvements to water quality in the region.
Approximately 200 people attended the event which was Francie Gormans’ first visit to Cavan since stepping into the role of IFA president.