I wish to raise the issue of Brexit again. The recent statement by the British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Mr. David Davis, to the effect that the phase 1 agreement was not legally enforceable was very unhelpful. I believe he has since qualified his remarks and has said that it is legally enforceable under the withdrawal arrangements.

We were all a little excited two weeks ago. At the time I stated I was very disappointed with the British edition of The Sun newspaper for effectively telling the Taoiseach to shut his gob as I believed it was both unnecessary to do so and unwarranted. In the past few days we learned that a British parliamentarian did not know the difference between Deputy Enda Kenny and Bertie Ahern and various things. That is unacceptable, but sometimes we need to take a step back. Mr. Adam Boulton, as a presenter, has a right to take on and ask politicians difficult questions and, in turn, the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Coveney, answered extremely well. Mr. Boulton then became involved in a media spat and said, "You Irish need to get over yourselves," but perhaps he has a point because sometimes people can be very precious. There have been instances when I have used social media to challenge something that has been said and various groups have responded and sought an apology. Perhaps Mr. Boulton was right when he said, "You Irish need to get over yourselves," just like the Scottish nationalists, the English nationalists and the far left must. Sometimes we over-emphasise things. We fight our corner and are well able to do so, but sometimes we believe the English have said something and should apologise for it. As I said, Mr. Boulton may be right; we have fought a tough battle on Brexit. I do not know Mr. Boulton, but I do know that he did not deserve the media onslaught following the making of his statement. As every politician here knows, after we articulate our points, various groups will attack us. Therefore, I think Mr. Boulton was right.

I, too, wish to refer to the imminent fodder crisis. I welcomed the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine's formation of a fodder crisis action group. I recall the statement made at the time of its formation that it would intervene if it felt there was a need to do so. It has met. As quoted here previously and as a result of that meeting with Teagasc, farmers were surveyed. Some 85% of the farmers surveyed had less than half the amount of fodder they required. However, there is a problem because the bureaucrats will take it that if farmers have 50% of the fodder they require, the crisis will not kick in until the second half of the feeding season. As we know, some of the farmers surveyed may be at a figure of 100%, while others may be well below 50%. Unfortunately, the crisis is hitting the country, which brings the old adage of live horse and get grass to a new level. Cattle are hungry and the inclement weather over the weekend did not help in some cases. Ironically, there is fodder available in the southern half of the country. However, there may not be enough available by the end of the feeding season because we never know when it will ends, as it depends on weather conditions in the spring and early summer. Action must be taken immediately. There have been meetings and meetings about meetings on the crisis. Pushing the inevitable down the line has caused farmers untold grief and mental anguish and many animals face starvation, especially in the west and the north west. There is a need for a subsidy to transport fodder from the south to where it is needed. There is also a need to provide meal vouchers in certain instances. Will the Leader immediately invite the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to come to the House to debate the matter? The debate will probably take place in the new year, but if that happens, it will only push the problem further down the line. We need the Minister in the House now and he needs to address the problem immediately. Waiting for the second half of the feeding season to arrive is not good enough for the many farmers who are in crisis.