A multimillion euro package to significantly expand the area of feed and fodder crops is in the pipeline.

The initiative comes as input and energy costs continue to soar and animal feed supplies tighten.

Strong supports for planting additional cereal and fodder crops this spring, along with increased incentives for multispecies swards and red clover, will form key planks of a Government strategy to reduce Ireland’s dependence on imported feed and fertiliser.

A national fodder and food security committee was established this week to tackle supply chain pressures and rising costs.

It meets on Friday to establish an action plan for the sector.

Meanwhile, in Brussels, there are fresh proposals to bring setaside land into production and “slow down” the implementation of the Farm to Fork and Green Deal strategies have been proposed to ensure adequate supplies of food.

IFA president Tim Cullinan said that the “mood seems to have changed” in Brussels, as the possibility of food shortages arising from the drop in Ukrainian wheat imports becomes apparent.

In a significant development, agricultural ministers from the G7 countries will meet on Friday to discuss the impact of the war on global food security.