Stop putting strict deadlines on vital farming activities, says ICSA
The ICSA leader said the recent weather had shown that the concept of farming by calendar dates is a “nonsense”. He was speaking at a winter fodder crisis meeting organised by ICSA in Dunmanway.
Mr Gilmartin said that the condition of land as a result of the huge rainfall levels seen in the past few months has brought this issue to the forefront.
“The rainfall here has been nothing short of catastrophic for farming. It has made the ordinary, everyday business of running a farm exceptionally difficult, and this is being made all the worse by the looming deadlines for the likes of spreading slurry and fertiliser.
“It has gone beyond a simple extension of the deadlines. What we need now is for the legislators to realise that the rules are making a tough job impossible, and that farmers need to be able to do their work as and when the weather and ground conditions allow.”
Mr Gilmartin spent the day visiting farms in various parts of West Cork, where a number of serious problems were highlighted to him.
“Fodder shortage is a huge problem in this part of the world, and we in ICSA have pledged to help those in need as much as we can. However, the shortage of silage is only the tip of the iceberg this year. The cost of concentrates is going up, the price of cattle is falling, and there is serious concern about the impact the weather is having on being able to meet cross-compliance requirements.
“On top of all that is the mental pressure this is putting on farmers and their families. The weather will improve eventually, and farmers will be able to go about their business — but we don’t know when that will be. Farmers have to be given the flexibility to do what they can, when they can, and that means the authorities must grasp farming reality, and throw out the ridiculous concept of calendar farming.”
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