MINISTER for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said his department are doing all they can to reassure West Cork farmers about any impending fodder crisis this winter, following this summer’s drought.

Speaking at the opening of Ireland’s first on-farm demonstration plant integrating grass biorefining and anaerobic digestion at the Shinagh Estates Demonstration farm in Bandon on Tuesday, Minister Heydon said they have been working with farm organisations all summer.

‘This problem is particularly acute in the east and the south. Grass growth in some areas was low in August and that is challenge for us but our farmers are unbelievably resilient and our famers have been making informed decisions over recent weeks and months to buffer their feed stocks, adjust their stocking rates and to make sure they are ready for the winter ahead and of course the concern would be if it’s a long winter,’ said Minister Heydon.

‘There are a lot of variables with this and I have shown flexibility and have had a number of interventions to free up buffer stock and established the national fodder food security committee which had its first meeting recently. I’ve also made interventions to increase the advance payments for the annual payments that come at the end of the year because cash flow will be a pressure for farmers who had to feed more with concentrates at this time of the year.’

Speaking to The Southern Star, Minister Heydon said that farmers in West Cork have a fabulous facility at the Shinagh farm.

‘They are a very innovative bunch of farmers and what’s happening here is another example of the Government working with academia, with industry and our farmers to support the value added proposition into the future. We are not resting on our laurels and we continue to have sustainable farms into the future and projects like this allow us to research and fine new income streams for farmers,’

When questioned on possible fuel prices protests by farmers and agricultural contractors when excise duty is put back on fuel in February, he said there is a strong rationale around continuing those reductions on excise levies on white diesel and petrol due to the fact that it’s stopping the increase of inflation by 0.6% a month.

‘The interventions we have carried out are right, we are using taxpayers money but we are always really responsible in how we do that.’