Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue must acknowledge the strain that rising input costs are putting on dairy farmers and pursue supports for dairy farmers worst affected by high costs, according to Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) dairy chair Stephen Arthur.

The comment comes after the Minister confirmed that the silage and hay measures proposed in a €55m package will not be accessible to dairy farmers, as they are limited only to the beef and sheep sectors.

“If the Minister is serious about supporting farmers during the current crisis, then he cannot overlook some sectors,” said Arthur.

“We want the Minister to bring forward targeted measures for dairy farmers who need it most,” he said.

The dairy chair explained that such supports could include criteria that would divert funds towards those who were the worst affected by the input price rises.

“Some are tied into fixed milk price contracts. Others are locked up with TB or have high borrowings,” he concluded.