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Farms To Begin Importing Fodder As Crisis Deepens

Emergency supplies of livestock fodder will arrive into Rosslare from the UK today to deal with the...
TodayFM
TodayFM

6:55 PM - 4 Apr 2018



Farms To Begin Importing Fodde...

News

Farms To Begin Importing Fodder As Crisis Deepens

TodayFM
TodayFM

6:55 PM - 4 Apr 2018



Emergency supplies of livestock fodder will arrive into Rosslare from the UK today to deal with the shortage on Irish farms.

Many farmers say they've completely run out of feed following the bad weather leaving animals starving.

The fodder, imported by the Dairygold co-op, will be offered at cost price.

The Agriculture Minister Michael Creed confirmed earlier that his department will support the importation of animal feed, to prevent livestock from starving.

The rains have forced farmers to keep animals indoors far longer than normal.

The import scheme was announced by Minister Creed after a meeting with the main agricultural co-ops this afternoon.

“The plan is to work through the cooperative structure,” he said.

“It is the coops who are involved in the importation, the sourcing and the contract arrangements for the implementation.

“We will be subsequently reimbursing some of the transport costs associated with this and that is a detail that we will be probably in a position to announce tomorrow.”

It is the first time the country has been forced to import fodder since 2013.

Minister Creed said that there was no simple solution to the shortages and called for “a collaborative effort” form all stakeholders to support affected farmers.

He has called on any farmers with additional fodder supplies to make them available to neighbouring farms.

However, Fianna Fáil has accused the minister of play ‘catch-up,’ noting that farm organisations had been warning of the impending crisis as far back as last September.



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