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At least 60,000 bales are required to meet the fodder shortage in the northwest alone, which has extended into counties Monaghan, Cavan and Roscommon, according to deputy president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) Lorcan McCabe.
Speaking following a second fodder action group meeting in Sligo, he said it was five weeks since the last meeting of the group and those at Monday’s meeting expected action from the Department.
Instead, he said farmers were met with a response of only assessing the situation. "How many times must they be told that there is a crisis before they begin to take action?," he asked.
McCabe said that most farmers in the northwest need 60 to 80 bales on average to meet their fodder deficit, with an estimated total of about 60,000 bales, and the Department must make adequate provisions to support these farmers.
He said that the ICMSA has made consistent recommendations to the Department to subsidise the transport of forage and to introduce vouchers for fodder-stretcher ration, but, to date, these suggestions seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
“Quite clearly at this stage, a Department intervention is required and the ICMSA is calling on the Minister to intervene and to introduce measures without delay to support the farmers who are under extreme pressures at present,” McCabe said.
No fodder transport scheme
On Monday, no announcement on a fodder transport support emerged after the second meeting of the fodder action group.
It had been mooted on Sunday evening that a fodder transport scheme would be launched after the meeting on Monday.
The transport scheme was expected to be similar to the IFA’s county partnership, where one county is twinned with another to transfer fodder.
A transport subsidy for the movement of the fodder was also mooted. However, following Monday’s talks, there was no announcement of a scheme or subsidy.
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