With the 2025 National Ploughing Championships now upon us, one farm organisation leader has said that there are three issues that, more than any other, will dominate discussions at this year's event.

Ploughing 2025 is taking place in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly from today (Tuesday, September 16) to Thursday (September 18).

With the event now underway, Francie Gorman, president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), has said that there are three major issues on the desk of Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon that will "define his first year in office".

These issues, according to Gorman, are support for the tillage sector, retention of the nitrates derogation, and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement.

On tillage, Gorman said: "I would expect the mood among farmers to be generally good as the year has turned out quite well from a weather and price perspective. However, the tillage sector is under huge pressure and will need immediate government support if it is to survive.

He said that the IFA-organised tillage crisis meeting, which took place last week, highlighted the "many challenges" in the sector.

"We have identified a range of other policy measures ahead of the budget in October and we will be engaging with party leaders and politicians over the next three days," Gorman said.

On the nitrates derogation, the IFA president said: "A decision on the renewal of the derogation is due before year end. The sector has made significant strides in improving water quality and there is a strong focus on delivering further improvements.

"It's imperative that the scale of this work is conveyed to the European Commission ahead of its decision," Gorman added.

On the Mercosur trade deal, the farm leader called on the Irish government, and Minister Heydon, to continue to build alliances with other EU member states who remain opposed to the deal.

"Given our export profile, and the threat posed by trade deals between the UK and [non-EU] countries, this is a red line issue for us," Gorman said.

The IFA president said that the commission's own Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety has raised questions about the production standards in Brazil - the largest producer and exporter in Mercosur - that "simply do not meet the standards that apply here".

"There's a lot at stake between now and year end in terms of the future of the sector. Encouraging new entrants very much depends on creating optimism among those in farming at the moment," Gorman said.

He added: "The right outcome on each issue is needed to give a positive signal to those who may be thinking of a career in farming."