Councillor fears farmers may take their lives

A county councillor who has lost seven cattle to starvation this spring believes many farmers, worse off than himself, may take their lives if the fodder crisis is not addressed quickly.

Silence greeted Declan Hurley’s impassioned speech in Cork’s County Hall yesterday when he outlined his plight.

The West Cork-based dairy farmer said he had run out of feed and had just €140 in the bank.