As countdown continues to polling day on Friday (November 29), the Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG) has published a list of questions that tillage farmers can ask candidates in the general election.
According to the Teagasc National Farm Survey 2023, the average tillage farm income stood at just €21,400 last year, down 71% when compared to 2022.
The IGGG noted that all political parties are committing to a minimum of €60 million in annual supports for the tillage sector in their manifestos.
“This is a welcome step in the right direction and it must now be part of the next Programme for Government since there is general agreement by all parties,” the organisation said
“We need programmes, schemes and policy that best serve the tillage farmer’s interest when it comes to government spending on tillage.
“The recent Tillage Expansion Scheme was not an example of this . A scheme with commitment over 4-5 years would make more sense to tillage farmers and the government,” IGGG added.
The farm organisation suggested that the Food Vision Tillage Group should reconvene as there appears to be “political agreement on a spend for the sector”.
IGGG
With campaigning intensifying across the country over the coming days, IGGG has suggested the following questions for tillage farmers to put to candidates seeking their vote:
- Will you push forward ,if elected, with programmes and policy to support tillage farmers in their quest in recognizing native Irish grain/pulses versus imports in this climate change world ?
- The average age of farmers is increasing year on year – the next generation find themselves not wanting to commit to farming for several different reasons including poor income and increased regulation – how do you propose to overcome this growing challenge?
- How are you going to reduce the increasing volume of red tape tillage farmers have to contend with almost daily?
- Will you consider tax supports for low or net zero carbon farming that is tillage farming?
- What’s your position on the Mercosur deal and is it acceptable to you that in 2023 we imported around 747,000t of feedstuffs (including GM) from those countries while questioning the Mercosur deal currently on such issues including deforestation and production standards?
- Tillage farmers are facing 100% convergence in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. With negotiations intensifying under the next government, how do you propose to compensate the loss of income to the majority of tillage farmers in a new CAP deal?
- The outgoing government and the National Climate Action Plan sets out a target of 400,000ha under tillage by 2030 – how, in your view is that going to be achieved ?