Irish Grain Growers' Group (IGGG) representatives will meet with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon over the coming weeks.

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss grain growers’ priorities in the context of Budget 2027 and the need to get appropriative funding for the tillage sector within the parameters of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform process.

But a recurring pinch point for the lobby group is what it regards as the paltry recognition given to Irish grains within Irish farming and food at that all important commercial level.

Leading IGGG member, Bobby Miller, attended the recent National Crop Variety Trials Open Day, held at Kildalton College.

He specifically highlighted the role of tillage farmers in delivering the grains required by all the livestock sectors in Ireland, querying why this reality was not reflected more prominently in the very obvious image that has been projected for Irish food across the board.

Crops factsheet

Another issue profiled by the IGGG representative as the ongoing work taking place within the Teagasc-I Protein project.

Significantly, a new factsheet summarising the results of multi-year field trials evaluating cereal and pulse varieties under Irish growing conditions has just been published under the aegis of this initiative.

Conducted across research sites and commercial farms throughout Ireland, trials have assessed the agronomic performance and grain quality characteristics of winter wheat, spring wheat, winter rye, winter barley and spring peas.

The factsheet provides growers, researchers and industry stakeholders with practical information on the performance of selected cereal and pulse crops and their potential suitability for human food applications.

Meanwhile, IGGG members believe strongly that Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the EU will provide Minister Heydon with a strong opportunity to make the case for Irish tillage.

In practical terms this will mean securing a bespoke support payment that will fully recognise the exceptionally low carbon footprint of the crops’ sector.

This can be achieved courtesy of a support payment directly embedded within the enxt CAP reform.

The alternative approach comes in the form of the Irish government having more national flexibility to fund specific sectors of agriculture.

Harvest 2026

Meanwhile, the start of harvest 2026 is just around the corner.

Bobby Miller believes that the current spell hot weather will bring the cutting of winter barley forward by up to five days.

For many growers this could mean a harvest date around mid-July.