SECONDARY GRITTING:THE REMOVAL of any legal ban on grit being supplied to farmers to treat secondary roads by the Government's emergency committee has been welcomed.
Irish Farmers Association president John Bryan has urged any local authorities which had refused to make grit available at designated points to reconsider their policy in light of the legal clarification.
Earlier Mr Bryan said a more co-ordinated and pro-active approach by local authorities was needed in securing the assistance of local farmers and community members to treat secondary roads.
He said the effects of the prolonged cold spell demanded a radical rethink on how a collaborative approach by the local authorities, farmers and the local community could deal more effectively with the adverse weather.
Some local authorities were proactive in providing grit to farmers who were willing to treat local roads where the conditions were deteriorating by the day.
The issue was brought to a head when Cork County Council refused to make an arrangement for legal reasons. It wanted those gritting the roads to be trained to do so.
The inability of farmers to deliver their livestock to marts and factories has meant an increase in the prices farmers are receiving for their cattle.
They are now getting 5 cents a kg to 10 cents a kg more than last week from factories while butchers attending sales have been paying up to €65 more for the animals they require for the Christmas market.
Meanwhile tens of thousands of gallons of milk are piling up on dairy farms but as yet, there is no scarcity for consumers.
The Health and Safety Authority has urged farmers and other workers not to take unnecessary risks out of doors and, where essential work had to be done, it was important to let someone know where this was being carried out.