'No tillage done, no cow out, and a shortage of food'

THERE are no cows out and no tillage, according to a West Cork councillor who has called for urgent support mechanisms to be afforded to farmers and food productions due to the atrocious weather in recent months.

March was one of the wettest on record, Met Eireann said this week, with rainfall more than 200% above normal. coming off an extremely wet winter.

Met Eireann predicts further rain in the coming days, exacerbating what is already a crisis situation. Speaking at last week’s meeting of the local authority, Cllr John O’Sullivan (Fine Gael), who is also a farmer, called on the Council to write to Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue on this issue.

‘The weather is absolutely atrocious. There is no tillage done and no cow out and there is a shortage of food,’ said Cllr O’Sullivan.

‘The Department of Agriculture needs to step up and put advisory clinics in place for people as well as a fodder support scheme. This should be done as a matter of urgency.’

He pointed out that nothing has been done on many farms due to the bad weather.

‘There’s a whole series of agricultural issues like slurry and silage that can’t be continued. We need to highlight this issue and we need to ask the Minister to support the farming community.’

County Mayor Cllr Frank O’Flynn visited Courtmacsherry recently and said he never met so many tractors and trailers with bales of silage and bales of straw on the roads.

‘Farmers are really suffering. I met a farmer who is being forced to draw slurry 16 miles as he can’t spread it on his own farm. He also has calves and it’s a journey he shouldn’t have to be doing.’

Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG) said some farmers can’t even walk into their fields in some instances and it’s a nightmarish situation for them and said they are ‘up against the 11th hour’ at this stage.

‘The cost of forage even if it is there is impossible to find,’ said Cllr Murphy.

Green Party Cllr Alan O’Connor said until we get a handle on the climate crisis farmers will find themselves at the mercy of the weather. ‘I support sending a letter to the Minister and it’s important that we support our farmers,’ said Cllr O’Connor.

Meanwhile, Cllr Declan Hurley (Ind) said they should also write to the Central Bank and ask them to instruct their branches to work locally with farmers.

‘They also need working capital too so if overdraughts need to be extended then some little bit of leeway should be given to farmers finding themselves in this difficult situation,’ said Cllr Hurley.

Councillors agreed to write to both the Ministere and the Central Bank on the issue.

Recently, the National Fodder and Food Security Committee met online after a meeting called by Minister McConalogue.

Speaking this week to The Southern Star, West Cork Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard made a call for intervention, both financially and mentally, for under- pressure farmers.

‘There is no magic bullet to fix this. But I think the first thing we need is for a financial package of supports to be agreed,’ said Sen Lombard. ‘The next thing is we need mental supports. Farmers have been hit by one thing after another. It hasn’t stopped raining since September.

‘I met one farmer during the week who is already buying straw for next year because he fears there’s going to be a shortage then.

‘Discussion groups need to get on top of this and we need the Minister to get all of the stage agencies checking in on farmers and looking after their mental health.’