Shannon, Ireland, 2018-Apr-13 — /Travel PR News/ — Shannon Airport offers to bring grass cutting forward to support farmers through fodder crisis Airport to meet with farmer representatives on Thursday Tuesday 10th April 2018: Shannon Airport has pledged its support to farmers battling the current fodder crisis by offering to repeat its intervention of 2013 when it harvested silage from its 400 acre site.
The Airport’s operations team will meet with farm representatives over the coming days to explore the need to fast-track cutting of grass on the airport grounds in light of the severe difficulties faced by many farmers due to the prolonged inclement winter and spring weather.
The airport’s grass husbandry programme is not due to see any grass inside the airport perimeter cut until later in the summer, but in light of the shortages, the airport is offering to bring it forward to support local farmers. Five years ago, in late April, farmers received 1,600 bales of silage from the airport in what was then the most severe fodder crisis in living memory.
Said Airport Operations Director Niall Maloney: “Farmers were in difficulty back then and, having seen just how important our intervention was, we have been watching the situation closely over the past few weeks and will be making the same offer to farmers’ representatives again when we meet them.
“We are a community airport and were delighted then to do what we could and the farmers were hugely appreciative. It was a critical intervention for many local farmers and so well received that other airports followed our lead and we hope they will do so again this time also,” he said.
The Operations Director said that the situation may not yet be as bad as 2013 but many farmers are in dire circumstances. “A lot could happen in a week if the weather improves and we get more growth but as of now, many farmers are experiencing major problems. We’ve seen a lot of fodder imported over the past week as a result, the introduction of emergency government supports and we are willing to play our part also”
SOURCE: Shannon Airport
For further information please contact:
Nandi O’Sullivan
Head of Communications
Shannon Group plc
M: +353-86-237 1510
T: +353-61-712890
email: nandi.osullivan@shannongroup.ie
www.shannongroup.ie