Future growth and expansion of the Irish tillage sector is achievable according to Drummonds cereal seeds manager, Brendan Reilly.
“We are currently looking at the prospect of the tillage area being increased from 320,000 to 400,000ha,” he told Agriland.
“But making that happen will require the establishment of a truly circular economy where grain and other crops are concerned. And central to this will be a requirement for Irish livestock farmers to be fully accredited for a commitment to use native grown grains and proteins.
“The reality is that imported feeds have a much higher carbon footprint that those produced in this country,” he added.
Irish tillage sector
Reilly believes there is no need for Bord Bia to certify Irish-produced cereals.
“The Irish Grain Assurance Scheme is already in place and meets the needs of the sector in full, where the matter of certification is concerned,” he said.
Last year saw the Irish government introduced the Tillage Incentive Scheme, which has been rolled over into 2023.
Significantly, 2023 has also been marked by a significant increases in the payments made available under the Protein Aid Scheme.
According to Reilly, the tillage scheme brought about a relatively small increase in seed sales.
“But the main driver here was an increase in the forage maize acreage, with dairy and livestock farmers seeking to improve the quality of their winter silage stocks,” he explained.
“The scheme specifically cited the need to utilise ground that was previously in grass. As a consequence, the opportunities for professional tillage farmers to avail of it were remote.”
According to Riley, spring beans will be the big crop grown under the auspices of the protein aid measure in 2023.
“The reality is that the pea varieties currently available, do not suit Irish conditions; they fall down too readily and are difficult to combine,” he continued.
“Beans, on the other hand, are a feasible cropping option. But they need to be sown out before the middle of March.
“Ground conditions around the country remain very poor. So land will have to dry out very quickly over the coming weeks in order to give growers the best possible chance with beans in 2023.”
Brendan Reilly was recently appointed as the president of the Irish Seed Trade Association (ISTA). He will serve a two-year term in his new position.
ISTA represents multipliers, producers and distributors of certified seed in Ireland. The role of the organisation is to promote the use of certified seed in tillage, forage and grassland crops.