Coveney still out of touch on feed crisis, claim IFA

BY FRANCIS FARRAGHER

THERE is growing disenchantment this week among western farm leaders over the handling of the Spring fodder crisis by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney – a €1 million transport subsidy for hay imports from the UK has been described as just ‘a drop in the ocean’ in terms of what needs to be done.

Farm leaders have also called on the Agriculture Minister to ‘get out from behind his desk’ and to undertake a tour of West of Ireland farms this weekend to see at first hand the consequences of the weather and fodder crisis.

Galway IFA have called on Minister Coveney to pay out all outstanding AEOS grant monies, to authorise an upfront payment of DAS cash, and to introduce a meal voucher scheme.

“The €1 million transport subsidy for hay being imported from the UK is welcome but really in terms of what needs to be done, this is just a drop in the ocean.

“We have real fears that the Minister just hasn’t grasped the scale and severity of the problem. To be honest, he’s not a man we see in the West of Ireland too often,” said Michael Flynn.

He warned that the way things were going with slow grass growth and the recent wet conditions, farmers in the West of Ireland would be facing into at least another three weeks of a ‘real struggle’ to feed their stock.

Former national IFA Rural Development Committee Chairman, Tom Turley, said that if the current crisis had come about because of one big event like a flood or a storm, there would have been a far more rapid response from the Dept. of Agriculture.

“This weather, fodder and now financial crisis has been a real slow burner over the past 10 months but it has now affected almost farm family in the country.

“Simon Coveney needs to come down to the West of Ireland and see at first hand what conditions are like. This isn’t a time for PR or spin – we need all back-money paid out, an up-front payment of DAS money and a meal voucher scheme put in place immediately,” said Tom Turley.