Fuel and fertiliser prices an 'immediate issue that needs addressing', warn farmers
Macra na Feirme national president John Keane: 'The funding package to support the agricultural sector needs to be negotiated with farming stakeholders as a matter of urgency.' Picture: Don Moloney
The country’s young farmers have said that a support package for the agriculture industry needs to be negotiated as “a matter of urgency” in the shadow of the invasion of Ukraine.
Irish farmers have been tasked by the Government to grow crops specifically to remove Ireland’s dependency on certain foodstuffs from Russia and Ukraine due to the ongoing invasion.
The plan to get farmers to grow wheat and other crops, announced last weekend, has signalled a significant shift in farming practices for Ireland’s agricultural community.
Under the plan, beef farmers will be encouraged to grow small amounts of grain for their own on-farm consumption, while thousands of farmers who have moved away from tillage in recent years will be encouraged to return to growing crops.
However, following the first meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee, Macra na Feirme national president John Keane said that "it is clear that the funding package to support the agricultural sector needs to be negotiated with farming stakeholders as a matter of urgency".
The new committee was set up following a meeting between Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and farming representatives on Tuesday to discuss the crisis situation.
Mr Keane said that the new committee clearly “has limitations in terms of funding and regulatory change”.
He said that his group had raised the issue of fuel and fertiliser costs at the meeting as “an immediate issue that needs addressing”.
“There are parts of the country where supply is an issue with contractors and farmers struggling to secure the necessary quantities for standard operations,” he said, adding that if the Government is “serious about addressing the issue” an agricultural fuel support scheme should be introduced “to ensure food remains on the shelves”.
“A 2c or indeed 32c [cut in prices] will not be enough,” he said.
“Farmers and contractors alike need to get out into fields. We have a very short window in the next days and weeks to ensure the best start for our crops. Farmers need clear indication of the support that is going to be made available.”
His comments were echoed by the Irish Farmers' Association national grain committee chair Kieran McEvoy, who said that the country is facing a situation of producing less grain “due to rocketing input prices”.
“Farmers need more cuts in excise duty and in the carbon tax. It’s critical that sufficient agri-diesel supplies are available during the key spring and summer months when planting and harvesting of crops takes place,” said Mr McEvoy, adding that, at current prices, each hectare farmed will cost an additional €100 to produce grain.
