The government has been urged by Macra to "reinvest unspent farmer supports" to protect food production.

Macra said that funding previously committed to supporting farmers through the fuel crisis must remain within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The farm organisation said this must be "immediately redirected towards the mounting challenges now facing the sector". 

The organisation said Irish farmers are once again facing exceptional financial pressures, with "soaring fertiliser costs, an emerging fodder crisis following a prolonged period of hot, dry weather and increased demand on existing support schemes".

Macra warned that these challenges cannot be addressed without adequate financial backing from government. 

Increasing pressure

Macra national president, Josephine O'Neill said: "Farmers are under increasing pressure from multiple fronts, with soaring input costs and prolonged dry weather placing enormous strain on farm businesses, yet funding already identified for the sector is sitting unused.

"Government must act quickly by keeping this money within the Department of Agriculture and directing it towards the issues that are having the greatest impact on farm families today.

"This is about responding to current realities and ensuring farmers have the support they need to continue producing food sustainably." 

Fertiliser support

The organisation welcomed the European Commission's recently-announced fertiliser support package, under which Ireland is expected to receive approximately €15.3 million.

Macra is urging the government to provide the maximum national co-funding permitted under the scheme, increasing the total support package available to almost €46 million. 

Macra said any fertiliser support must be paid directly to farmers and "targeted towards those sectors most exposed to rising input costs and market disruption, ensuring that the funding delivers meaningful assistance where it is needed most". 

The organisation also welcomed the department's commitment to honour all valid applications under the 2026 Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM), despite claims exceeding the scheme's original €10 million budget.

Macra said the decision "recognises the importance of supporting sustainable farming practices and tillage production".

However, the organisation stressed that the additional funding required must not come at the expense of other essential agricultural supports. 

'Warning signs'

With concerns also mounting over winter fodder supplies following one of the driest summers in recent years, Macra said government must act now rather than waiting until shortages become critical. 

"The warning signs are already there," the organisation said.

"Waiting until shortages emerge will only increase costs and uncertainty.

"We need to plan ahead and ensure that practical supports are available if challenges continue to escalate." 

Solutions

Macra said it believes the unspent funding originally allocated to support farmers through the fuel crisis presents government with an opportunity to "respond proactively to the challenges now facing agriculture". 

“The solutions are there. Government can maximise the EU fertiliser package, protect existing schemes such as the SIM and prepare contingency support for fodder if it becomes necessary," Macra said.

Macra called on the government to "act quickly to provide certainty" to farmers ahead of the autumn planting season and winter housing period. 

"Farmers cannot plan on uncertainty. They need certainty, they need support, and they need it now," it said.

"The resources are available. Government's job is to make sure they reach the farmers who need them before today's pressures become tomorrow's crisis."