Gary Prendergast - contractor

“The fodder shortage is a very serious problem this year. Every farmer in this area is short of fodder for the first time in 20 years.

Usually, when we’d be cutting silage there’d always be a third of the silage left in the back of the pit, but this year every pit in the area is empty, and they can’t even help their neighbours out.”

Michael Ryan – dairy farmer, Co Tipperary

I’m milking 150 cows, growing 5kg to 6kg per hectare and that just doesn’t feed anything.

I thought I was prepared, I thought I had enough fodder budgets done and enough grass in place but I’m out here today, in the queue hoping to be one of the people who gets bales.

It’s just a stressful situation, you’re going back into your house, to your family and bringing your troubles in with you.

Michael Creed, sat on his hands hoping this would all pass, he should have put a plan in place. Reacting now when everything is in a crisis situation was not the way forward.