Minister to meet farm organisations on new tillage support package
Farm organisations are expecting to meet Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon shortly to discuss the details of a new tillage support package.
The outline of the new measures was confirmed in Budget 2026.
There is growing speculation that government will offer a multi-annual support package for the tillage sector.
However, this may well be a targeted scheme with only certain crops covered within its remit.
The actual budget that will accompany the new measures has yet to be confirmed.
Budget 2026
Meanwhile, the Budget 2026 announcement fell well short of the Irish Grain Growers Group's (IGGG's) ask.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “We believe that this government does not fully appreciate the impact of not adequately supporting the sector via programmes and taxation measures.
“The tillage area will most likely contract during the term of this government now following this week’s announcement.
“What faces Ireland now is even more imported genetically modified feedstuffs entering the Irish food chain, where it will be increasingly difficult to promote Irish produce in a very competitive marketplace.”
The spokesperson outlined the long-term impact of a reduction in tillage area in Ireland.
They said: “Every acre of tillage lost is biodiversity lost. Every acre of tillage converted to grassland is a vast increase in greenhouse gas emissions per acre.
“Every extra tonne of imported feedstuff is more nutrients potentially putting pressure on our water quality. And what about the increase in carbon tax fines with the potential loss of tillage land?
“It makes sense to invest in Irish tillage, but not enough people in this government realise that and [Tuesday's] announcement proves that.”
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) is equally underwhelmed with the news emanating from Budget 2026 for the tillage sector.
The farm lobby group estimates that the additional monies available for grain producers could come in at €30 million, well short of the €65 million called for by the organisation.
Grain prices
Adding to the pressure on tillage margins is the confirmation of a €20/t year-on-year reduction in Irish grain prices.
This trend was reflected in the 2025 price schedules published by Tirlán over recent days. The price reduction works out an almost 10% fall in the returns that grain growers can expect to generate within their businesses this year, relative to 2024.
The price changes also act to severely diminish the benefits that grain growers would have to hoped to accrue from the enhanced yields generated in 2025.
