Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has managed to secure himself some temporary respite on the crops front at least, following the recent tillage crisis meeting.

It is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people attended the event, held on Friday night (September 12) in Naas.

Some might say that during the meeting Minister Heydon made himself a ‘hostage to fortune’ on at least two fronts.

In the first instance, the minister confirmed his full awareness of the myriad challenges now facing Irish tillage farmers.

The minister also inferred in the strongest possible terms that he would seek to secure the best deal possible for agriculture as a whole courtesy of Budget 2026.

So there is only one conclusion that can be arrived at: Minister Heydon must deliver in a very tangible way for tillage farmers on October 7, the date of the aforementioned Budget.

Meanwhile the Programme for Government hangs over the minister’s head like a ‘Sword of Damocles’.

In the run-up to last November’s election, both the main parties in the current government promised an additional €65 million of support per annum during the lifetime of the current Dáil.

The betting money is on Minister Heydon delivering an additional support package for tillage on October 7.

But will it come in at €65 million or above? This is hardly likely - in the world of politics, nobody ever gets what they ask for.

The bigger question relates to the form of support package that will be brought forward by the government.

Are we looking at a one-off injection of monies? Tillage farmers would regard this as a 'sticking-plaster approach'.

Or are we looking at a scheme that will remain in place for the length of the current Dáil?

Let’s hope that the latter option is the one opted for by Minister Heydon and his government colleagues.

The minister told the Naas meeting that he is in the thick of the budgetary negotiations right now.

He is aiming for the best possible deal for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in tandem with Irish agriculture as a whole.

At the Naas meeting, Minister Heydon welcomed the large turnout of tillage farmers. His plan is to reflect the strength of feeling expressed on the night directly back to his government colleagues.

Let’s hope he succeeds in doing this. It is important that government realises the depth of the crisis now unfolding within the tillage sector.

The news is already out there that 2026 is going to be another bad year for the industry. Moreover, growers are not crying wolf at the present time.

Large numbers of them will not commit to growing crops in 2025/2026 without the guarantee of a sustainable support package from the government.