Hayes fears for farmers’ mental health

COUNCILLOR Pat Hayes has said he is “sickened” by the worsening fodder crisis which he says will lead to a greater financial crisis and has warned that the unsustainable pressure on farmers will cause their mental health to suffer.
“A lot of farmers are struggling with the fodder crisis but the main crisis as I see it is the financial crisis and people can’t get over that. If this continues, it will lead to a lot of mental anguish and mental problems and social problems because people can’t sustain the present scenario. This has to do with the weather and the cost of inputs. I’m only a local councillor and the amount of people that have been onto me asking me if they can get jobs, or get onto a scheme or can you do anything to help us. People are at their wits’ end. I know its weather-related but the fact we had the sustained bad weather last year and the fodder crisis, people are afraid of what might come in the autumn period with the shortage of finance and fodder,” he said.
Councillor Hayes said he has met farmers who are selling their stocks at present in order to look after the bread and butter in their house, which he said “is a shocking situation”.
“I think it is unsustainable to even move towards Harvest 2020 in the present scenario. Not alone has the small farmer suffered but the big farmer too, everyone has suffered and there is a financial crisis now and I’m worried about the knock-on for businesses. There are a lot of people because of the difficult weather at present who won’t be able to pay their bills and there are a lot of predated cheques coming in so people can’t pay until June and that has a knock-on effect for the veterinarians, the suppliers, for everyone. The main issue here is to protect family life and protect the individuals and I hope at some level that we can try to put emergency funding in place,” he said.
I meet people on a daily basis and it is unsustainable to try to keep their cattle alive. I know it myself as a part-time farmer. Ultimately, what needs to be done is 50% of the single-farm payment needs to be paid immediately or the disadvantage scheme, or else the Government needs to think about a support package, like interest-free loans. People have told me ‘we’ve no grass, no cash and no overdraft’. Credit limits are being tightened. There’ll be a flash sale of cattle, which will reduce the price of them and has a knock-on effect too. It’s frightening me. People will be to the pin of their collars and it will affect their mental health,” he said.
Councillor Hayes also called for advice and support to be made available to those who are finding it difficult.
Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney this week noted that the Fodder Transport Subsidy Scheme had played an important role in contributing to the efforts of recent weeks, with the transport costs of sizable quantities of fodder being significantly offset by his department’s contribution.
The minister announced that while the scheme will end this Friday as “an exceptional measure”, any definite purchases that have been placed by that date, but which will be delivered during the following week, will be included under the scheme.
Those wishing to avail of this option have to submit documentary and financial evidence to his department, by close of business this Friday. Where the department is satisfied with documentation submitted, it will grant approval to cover that fodder under the scheme provided it is delivered during the following week.