Donegal North East TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn is seeking emergency financial assistance for Donegal farmers affected by the fodder shortage crisis.
He made the call following a meeting between local Sinn Féin representatives, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, Cllrs Jack Murray and Mick Quinn and a delegation from Donegal IFA led by Development Officer, Davie Keith.
He has submitted a range of parliamentary questions and called on the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney to seek financial aid from the EU Crisis Fund and to further outline how the Government intends to compensate the affected farmers.
Deputy Mac Lochlainn said farmers in Donegal had barely got their heads above water as it was.
“This fodder shortage crisis has now caused widespread hardship and the Government needs to step up to the mark. I and my party colleagues have heard from farming families across the county and we are seriously concerned.
“For the last while, the focus has been on getting desperately needed fodder into the county. Now the full financial impact is becoming clearer”.
He continued that he, along with party colleagues, will be continuing to pursue the fairer distribution of European CAP funding.
“We believe that across Pillars 1 and 2, there is scope to protect and encourage the productivity of most farmers while also compensating farmers for the loss of vital REPS funding and cuts to Disadvantaged Area Payments. Of course, the Governments sneaky cuts to farm assist have only made matters worse. The bottom line is that farmers must not be squeezed further if the current rhetoric of Harvest 2020 is to be turned into a reality”.
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