The first consignment of cattle fodder to be donated by farmers from Waterford for farmers in the west arrived in Co Limerick yesterday evening.
The 100 bales of hay and silage were donated by the Mount Melle ray branch of the Irish Farmers' Association to hard-hit farmers in Co Limerick.
The baled silage and hay, which was donated by 30 farmers, was transported in a convoy from Mount Melleray abbey farm, Cappoquin, to Abbeyfeale and Bruree, Co Limerick.
The IFA said this was the first of a series of donations of fodder from farmers being co-ordinated through IFA's 925 branches in the State.
It has established 12 collection points in Co Wexford where fodder will be donated free and transported to Co Clare later this week.
Waterford's IFA chairman, Mr James Coughlan, said the donations reflected the deep concern of farmers for the plight of fellow farmers in the west who were in the middle of the worst fodder crisis in living memory.
The Co Limerick chairman, Mr Richard Kennedy, thanked the Mount Melleray farmers for their donation and said it would help many others to survive. "Today's gesture shows the extent of the good will that still exists between farmers in time of need," he said. The IFA president, Mr Tom Parlon, said the effort by the Waterford farmers was only part of many other similar initiatives which would be repeated between farmers in the south and south-east and their colleagues in the west and north-west.
