ICSA president Sean McNamara has said the fodder crisis has become a cash crisis for drystock farmers as they face the cost of replacing fodder they have been unable to produce. “This crisis did not develop overnight. Farmers went into the summer with depleted fodder reserves after a very difficult spring, following a wet autumn and winter which delayed turnout and disrupted fodder production. The prolonged dry weather then severely restricted grass growth for much of the summer. The window for growing additional fodder and sowing catch crops has now largely passed, so the job now is making sure farmers have enough fodder and enough cash to keep their livestock through the winter,” he said.
Mr McNamara was speaking following a meeting with MEP Nina Carberry to discuss the fodder crisis and the future of CAP.
Continuing, Mr McNamara said, “The flexibility introduced around the cutting of riparian areas made a difference, and we welcomed that. But farmers needed more support when there was still an opportunity to grow additional fodder. That opportunity has now gone. Farmers are facing significant extra costs buying in feed and fodder, and many drystock farmers simply do not have the cash flow to absorb those costs. This is a cash crisis as well as a fodder crisis, and the Government needs to recognise that.”
He said, “The EU has an agricultural crisis reserve to respond to exceptional pressures. We need Minister Heydon to engage with the European Commission now and establish what EU funding can be made available to help farmers through this crisis. Farmers are under serious pressure, and they need help with the costs they are facing. We cannot wait until winter and then start looking at what could have been done.”
On the future of CAP, Mr McNamara said, “We cannot allow CAP funding to be cut or diverted to other areas. CAP is not simply about supporting farmers. It is about keeping farmers producing safe, high-quality food here in Europe. If we continue to reduce support for farmers and make it harder to produce food, we will become more reliant on imports that we cannot always stand over. This week’s suspension of Brazilian beef is a reminder that we cannot take our farmers or our food standards for granted.”
Mr McNamara thanked MEP Nina Carberry for meeting with ICSA and said her position on the European Parliament’s Budget Committee made her an important voice in discussions on the future CAP budget and the need for an EU response to the current crisis.
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