Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon today (Wednesday, December 10) met with the Food Vision Tillage Group where he reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the sector financially.

He welcomed the continued progress in delivering the recommendations in the report of the Food Vision Tillage Group.

Minister Heydon acknowledged the significant challenges faced by the sector in recent years including the particularly challenging market situation this year and downward price pressure internationally.

The minister said: “At what continues to be a challenging time for the sector, I will be supporting growers in 2026 through a new Tillage Support Scheme, delivered alongside the Protein Aid Scheme and the Straw Incorporation Measure.

"These supports will play an important role in underpinning tillage farm incomes and will provide a strong foundation for protecting the future of tillage farming in Ireland."

The minister explained that funding of €30 million for the new Tillage Support Scheme is new funding provided in Budget 2026.

Tillage support

Minister Heydon also welcomed a number of initiatives to achieve greater recognition of the sustainability of Irish grain which he said are important to ensure the long-term viability of the sector.

He highlighted the significant progress in developing a Pilot Sustainability Assurance Scheme for tillage aligned with Origin Green.

The minister added: “I want to acknowledge the very positive engagement between my own department, Bord Bia, the Cereals Association of Ireland [which] own the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme, Cropsure and the Malting Company of Ireland [which] are working collaboratively on the development of this pilot scheme.

"I have secured funding to support this initiative to ensure that there is no additional cost to growers.

"I also welcome the positive dialogue with end users in the market to ensure there are additional returns to growers based on the measurement and verification of sustainability credentials at farm level.”

The minister said that along with AgNav, the initiatives will allow growers demonstrate the low-carbon credentials of Irish grain, supporting access to premium markets.

The Minister also welcomed investments in pilot-scale production facilities for brewing, distilling, and plant-based ingredients to support early-stage product development and innovation, helping to create new value-added opportunities in the supply chain for Irish grain.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) funded feasibility studies on oilseed processing and organic feed milling, both of which are now underway, have the potential to highlight new opportunities for domestic processing, according to the minister.

Highlighting the importance of strengthening the sector’s long-term competitiveness and efficiency, Minister Heydon welcomed the provisional agreement on the proposal for a Regulation on New Genomic Techniques between the European Council and Parliament on December 4.

It aims to enable improved crop traits to be delivered more quickly than traditional breeding, helping farmers boost performance, resilience, and environmental outcomes.

Minister Heydon concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to the sustainable growth of the tillage sector through significant financial support, with investment in research and technology, and with a shared vision for the future of Irish grain.