Minister to hear fresh request for enhanced tillage support scheme
The Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA’s) National Grain Committee has confirmed that it is set to meet early next month with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.
Discussions will centre on the organisation’s continuing requests for the Irish government to deliver a significantly enhanced tillage support scheme.
IFA Grain Chair, Kieran McEvoy, believes harvest 2025 was 'mediocre' in terms of the overall cereal yields and grain quality that were achieved.
“Yes, top yields were achieved in some parts of the country.
"But for many tillage farmers this has been another disappointing harvest," he warned.
McEvoy has also outlined that his committee members are very concerned about the sentiments and trends in global grain markets and the impact this will have on the future viability of the Irish tillage sector.
“At current indicative grain harvest prices, the majority of farmers are facing a loss-making scenario, and these losses could be very substantial for growers exposed to rented or leased land.
“Despite the favourable harvest weather, morale amongst tillage farmers is close to an all-time low.
“Native, Irish grain prices are being undermined by cheap imports of feedstuffs from outside the EU.
“These imports are subject to much lower production standards and regulations around the use of plant protection products and genetically modified seeds. The playing pitch has never been so unlevel," he said.
McEvoy also warned that currently tillage farmers "accept that Ireland is unable to produce enough grain to meet its requirements on an annual basis".
But he said that despite this, growers and merchants are often left "carrying over native Irish grain in stores into the next cycle which completely defies logic.”
McEvoy added: “Sourcing additional feed supplies on a least cost formulation basis is a race to the bottom. Increasingly, it appears that some large feed mills have no interest in sourcing any native grain for their products
“Government support is unquestionably needed to ensure tillage farming remains a viable sector. That is why IFA have campaigned for a €65m- €250/ha tillage survival plan to be introduced by this Government."
The IFA has made this issue a key priority in its pre-budget campaign.
According to McEvoy the organisation had some success in securing €100 per hectare funding for the tillage sector last year.
“However, I recently attended the IFA pre-budget meeting with the minister and his officials.
"The minister also addressed a Kildare IFA meeting recently and, on both occasions, guarantees on another tillage support package were far from forthcoming.”
“However, support from government, while vital, will on its own not be sufficient to secure the future of the Irish tillage sector. We need greater support from the wider agricultural sector, our mills and our fellow farmers," he added.
