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Fianna Fáil wants to see low-cost credit in the next budget, as a lot of farmers are under huge financial pressures because of the two fodder crises, the leader of the Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin has said.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Thursday at the 2018 National Ploughing Championships, he said it is absolutely vital that low-cost credit is delivered, which was promised in last year’s budget.
“We’ve had no delivery on that. In fact, last year’s budget hasn’t been realised. I find it difficult to understand why a scheme they announced 12 months ago hasn’t been implemented at all.
“In addition to that, there should be a [€200] suckler cow payment made to farmers. We’ll be discussing that with the Minister for Finance and Minister for Agriculture.
“In the wider CAP reform, we would want the €200 suckler cow payment stitched in. The wider sustainability of the beef sector needs to be addressed, because there are issues in terms of volatility around pricing, the supply chain, [and] how realistic is it for some suckler farmers to sustain the business,” he said.
In response to the Irish Farmers Journal Red C poll, which found that the Government is failing farmers, Martin said that farmers and rural Ireland have been left behind by the Government.
On Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed’s performance, Martin said that the minister has been too slow in dealing with the fodder crises.
“He was too slow last winter and he’s too slow now.”
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