THE farming community is fighting a rearguard action at a time when they should be going full-tilt at their normal seasonal work for this time of year.

We’re witnessing one of the worst farming crises in this country for many a long year. There’s scarcely a decent field to be seen, as the land has been either water-logged or whipped of grass by frost and chilling winds over the past couple of months.

It’s a crisis that can be traced back to last year, when summer conditions were awful and crop yields were well below average, resulting in an increased demand for fodder over the winter. Weather conditions, so far this year, have compounded matters, as farmers have been unable to put animals back on the land. Beef and sheep farmers are among the worst affected.

This places an enormous burden of debt on farmers and there are stories around the country of animals dying because farmers just haven’t got the money to buy enough fodder. Most are on extended credit from banks or feed suppliers.

A very negative statistic is that there has been a 60% increase in dead animal collections in Clare this year, compared to 2012. In addition to carrying a heavier financial burden, this scenario in particularly is distressing for farmers, who generally adhere to high standards for their stock.

In recent weeks, the price of bales has skyrocketed from €20 up to €60 per round bale. Obviously, there are those in the farming business that are prepared to cash in on the crisis.

The €1m imported fodder transport scheme, introduced by the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney this week, will subsidise the cost to farmers of imported hay, silage or haylage from outside the island of Ireland.
It is anticipated the scheme, which will operate through the dairy co-operatives, will reduce the cost of a bale by as much as one-third. It will operate until May 3 but one must ask how far this will stretch when the situation is so desperate.

Locally, one of the best ways to try to break the vicious circle created by the fodder crisis is to turn to the Gap to Grass initiative spearheaded by Teagasc, in association with Clare IFA, Clare ICMSA and ICSA. Last week, they launched a special helpline to establish an inventory of stocks of silage, hay and straw for sale in a particular area and to match this supply with farmers who are out of fodder and urgently need feed.
According to Brendan Heneghan, regional manager of Teagasc, the initiative has been very worthwhile and the line has been extremely busy.

“We are pleased that to date supplies of available fodder has just about matched demand. We have divided the county up into regions and as far as possible we try to link farmers who need fodder with farmers in the particular locality,” he said.

Based on the premise of a return to more seasonal weather soon, there will be a little respite on the horizon for those farmers who have been fortunate enough to scrape through the extended winter conditions.
For the majority, however, they will not be able to allow stock back on pasture for at least a couple of weeks. They urgently need fodder. Help them, if possible; if you can’t, don’t take advantage.

 

 

The Wild Atlantic Way

THE Clare coastline is one of extraordinary beauty, with sandy coves and beaches giving way to towering cliffs. Many parts of the coast don’t feature in the usual holidaymakers’ itinerary, however, and very few, except the locals, know where these hidden gems are.

A new tourism project, launched this week and destined to roll out next March, should help attract more people to Clare’s coastal beauty spots.

Lesser-known areas could be explored from some of the discovery points along the Clare section of the 2,500km Wild Atlantic Way driving route from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork. The main spine of the Clare section will run from Loop Head to the Galway border but, like elsewhere, there will be loop options at several places.

Loop Head Lighthouse’s growing reputation as a visitor attraction should be greatly boosted by being included on the route. Opportunities should arise to encourage visitors to linger a while in Kilkee, Kilrush or any one of a number of villages in West Clare when using the Killimer/Tarbert ferry service in either direction. Scattery Island and the estuary also have plenty of tourism potential.

At the northern end of the county, apart from viewing the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, there are towns, villages and heritage sites that could be promoted to extend stays.

The Wild Atlantic Way received a high-profile launch this week, as Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring joined Fáilte Ireland in presenting the route to 300 overseas tour operators attending Meitheal 2013, Ireland’s largest tourism trade fair.

Everybody associated with tourism in Clare must now resolve to ensure that people travelling the Wild Atlantic Way do make at least one stop in this county. Designation in itself is not much good if the tourism traffic quite literally whizzes by. Promotional signs and information boards must be of such quality as to grab visitors’ attention.

Of course, there’s plenty of potential support for the Wild Atlantic Way right here on our own doorstep. If more Clare people headed for the coast a little more often, it would all add up to a nice bit of additional revenue in the area.