Adding significant value to native grains must be made a priority as Ireland’s tillage industry looks to the future.
This was the clear view expressed by Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG) chairman Bobby Miller at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Co. Laois.
He is also calling for the government to give tillage farmers parity of esteem when it comes to them leasing land.
“Tillage farmers cannot compete with dairy farmers when it comes to acquiring the additional land they need to grow crops,” Miller said.
“This is not a case of putting one sector of agriculture at odds with another. The nitrates issue is at the heart of the land rental challenge.
“Government must act to put all sectors of agriculture on a level playing field.”
IGGG on aid
The IGGG is also calling on the government to come forward with an exceptional aid package to cover the large losses that tillage farmers have incurred during 2023.
“Now that the harvest season is coming to a close, IGGG believes that a case must be made for the government to consider an exceptional aid payment in 2023 to the active tillage farmer,” Miller said.
“It is right to say that tillage farmers feel like that they are being hit from all sides this year.”
IGGG’s rationale, seeking support for the tillage sector now, is based on a number of key points.
Where the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is concerned, 70% of tillage farmers are now receiving lower payments relative to the support that was available from Brussels up to this point
In addition, tillage farmers felt the full brunt of the extremely high production costs that characterised the early months of 2023.
“While fertiliser prices have eased, this did not happen in time for tillage farmers,” Miller continued.
“Practically all chemical fertiliser is applied to crops by mid- to late April.
“Plant protection products rose in price, some by up to 25%. Diesel prices were also prohibitive. Machinery and spare parts prices also rose substantially.”
According to IGGG, the 2023 growing season was a real struggle from start to finish.
Many winter crop specialists could not plant all the area they planned due to rain last autumn.
March of this year was a complete washout. This should have been the peak spring sowing time. The poor weather also made key crop husbandry of winter crops extremely difficult.
“Many didn’t get to start to sow until mid-April with planting only completed in May,” Miller confirmed.
“This was followed by drought, which hit spring barley yields especially. But no crop escaped its impact.”