The Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has been called on by the IFA to reconvene the National Fodder and Food Security Committee with immediate effect.
“The ongoing dry weather is now starting to create major challenges on dairy and drystock farms across much of the country,” IFA president Francie Gorman said.
“Farmers are now heavily supplementing livestock with feed, due to low to non-existent grass growth, and unfortunately, there is no sign of any significant rain in the forecast.
"That is why we must reconvene the National Fodder and Food Security Committee as soon as possible,” he said.
Farmers across the country are grappling with an unprecedented lack of rainfall, which has massively impacted grass growth across the majority of the country.
“Farmers, in the main, have been managing the situation effectively over the past few weeks. There are also significant stocks of fodder in reserve on a lot of farms. But if we do not get rain soon, the situation could exacerbate quite quickly,” Gorman said.
Early intervention critical
"That’s why it's important we get on top of this situation now; early intervention is critical here. Firstly, we need to establish just how much feed and fodder is on farms at the moment,” he said.
"Furthermore, if this situation continues to deteriorate, there may well be need for supports here, particularly given that it is likely that any fodder surpluses are located some distance from where fodder shortages are most evident,” Gorman added.
The minister confirmed in recent days that Teagasc is currently conducting its annual fodder survey.
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