The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) is hosting a national rally in the Sligo Southern Hotel on Friday 1 December.

The rally will focus on the need to deliver the additional €25m budget for the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) to the most severely disadvantaged areas.

The rally will also look at how farmers are dealing with the impending fodder crisis.

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INHFA chair Colm O’Donnell told the Irish Farmers Journal the Department of Agriculture needs to take a more proactive approach to the fodder situation.

He said: “We spoke to the Minister [for Agriculture] as part of a pre-budget session and he told us that there is no national crisis.

“We are facing into a serious animal welfare issue and we need to have a scheme in place before Christmas before farmers get into a worse situation.”

He said the INHFA is using the meeting as a way of getting a “national mandate” to go to Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to show him the severity of the fodder situation.

Speakers at the rally will include Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman Charlie McConalogue and Sinn Féin agriculture spokesman Martin Kenny.

The INHFA has invited the minister as well as other Government representatives from the area.

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