Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
2131. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if provision has been made to ensure that Irish farmers will access to sufficient amounts of fertiliser in the event of shortages in the months ahead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41093/22]
View answerThe current situation in relation to the cost and availability of fertiliser remains a significant concern. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has led to significant increases in energy, feed and fertiliser prices. This is being felt at farm level and is something that I am acutely aware of.
Earlier in the crisis, I established the National Fodder and Food Security Committee to prepare an industry response to the emerging crisis in feed, fodder, fertiliser and other inputs, and to develop contingency plans and advice to assist farmers in managing their farm enterprises.
This Group continues to meet and I will continue to engage closely with the sector as we work together on these significant challenges.
Within my Department, I established a Rapid Response Team, to actively monitor the impacts on agri-food supply chains and to contribute to the whole of Government response to this crisis.
I launched the 2022 Soils, Nutrients and Fertiliser Campaign in January in response to the unprecedented fertiliser price levels. This credible roadmap, which I tasked Teagasc to develop, will help alleviate reduce their dependency on chemical fertiliser in the longer-term. Teagasc has also issued revised advice to farmers on the recommended application amounts of fertilisers for silage fields to reflect the increase in fertiliser price.
Given Ireland’s dependence on imported feed, I announced a package of targeted interventions for the tillage sector and a multi-species sward initiative worth over €12 million to support Irish farmers on 22nd March.
The package supports the growing of additional tillage and protein crops and the establishment of multi-species swards lowering demand for chemical fertiliser. Following on from the package of measures announced in recent months to provide support to Irish farmers, I launched a €56 million Fodder Support Scheme on 15th June 2022.
We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and I continue to engage actively with the EU Commission, across Government and with industry as this situation unfolds. The financial supports previously announced will assist farmers in meeting the rising costs of fertiliser and in providing sufficient fodder for Winter 2022.
I am committed to supporting our farm families and their businesses through this very challenging period.
