Suckler cow support
Deputy Michael Collins highlighted pressures on farmers from fodder and income losses and asked for a €200 suckler cow scheme. The Minister said the Agriculture Minister had already set up a national committee on the fodder crisis and would respond on the scheme proposal.
My question concerns the programme for Government and farmers' incomes. Farmers from the north, south and south west are under huge pressure with fodder crisis, as well as grain and suckler farmers suffering losses in their incomes. This was discussed quite a lot in the programme for Government. For the survival of the suckler farm, would the Government set up a €200 suckler cow scheme to help those farmers?
Comment on this
I know that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is particularly concerned about the fodder situation and has set up a national committee to work with the farming community regarding the fodder shortage. That is in place and Teagasc has had a number of meetings to seek to address the issue, and to help farmers better budget and plan their fodder provision.
I do not know about the other question raised by the Deputy and will ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to respond to him.