“The farming community is now reaping a tragic harvest following the Government’s frustratingly slow and inefficient response to the recent fodder crisis.” So said Deputy Mattie McGrath who was speaking after it emerged that there has been a significant surge in suicide among farmers which is being directly linked to the effects of the crisis on farming families.

“In May of this year I warned the Taoiseach during Leaders Questions that there was an emerging suicide crisis occurring in the farming community. On that same day the Farm Contractors of Ireland were outside the gates of the House protesting about the plight of the farming sector. As usual the Taoiseach responded as if all that could be done was being done. We now know that to be tragically short of the mark.

“It is bitterly sad to read in the last few days that some farmers who found themselves under intolerable pressure last winter and spring, have found it impossible to emerge from the depression that engulfed them during the crisis. It was clear to me however, that there was never any real sense that the Government really understood the true scale of the difficulties being experienced. Again and again I called on the Government to convene the Emergency National Infrastructure Committee but this was ignored and instead, piecemeal solutions were trotted out after the crisis had deepened,” Deputy McGrath continued.

Farming organisations have indicated that on top of the poor Government response to the fodder crisis, there are other significant factors contributing to the overwhelming pressure being experienced by farmers, among them a huge increase in pressure because of the new regime of inspections.

“Since 2009 the level of unfair penalties following on from these inspections has increased 5-fold from €780,000 to €4.7m in 2012. It is totally unacceptable that the Department of Agriculture continued to sustain the level of inspection penalties and then attempt to hide the fact during the fodder crisis. This increase has occurred despite the fact that the Minister gave a commitment to farmers that the wet weather conditions in 2012 would result in a more flexible inspection regime taking account of the difficulties that farm families were facing.

“I am once again calling on Minister Coveney to follow through on his commitment for a New Charter of Rights for farmers. We must have immediate relaxation of the intolerable pressure that is caused by these inspections; that at least is in the gift of the Minister even if the weather is not,” concluded Deputy McGrath.