Large numbers of farmers are expected to attend the tillage crisis meeting taking place in Naas on Friday evening, September 12.

While the event has been organised by the Irish Farmers Association, it is anticipated that growers from across the entire spectrum of the tillage sector will turn up on the night.

It has been confirmed that Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, will be in attendance.

A large turnout of tillage farmers will serve two purposes. First off, it will show the minister just how challenging the finances associated with Irish crop production are at the present time.

But, in addition, it is strongly felt that a large turnout of growers will also strengthen the minister’s hand in getting a much-needed aid package for the tillage sector agreed at cabinet level in Dublin.

Earlier this year, Minister Heydon attended an Irish Grain Growers Group (IGGG) meeting in north Co. Dublin at which he inferred that simply throwing money at tillage would not secure a long-term future for the sector.

However, given current circumstances, all the growers attending the Naas meeting will be expecting some form of strategic support to be announced by the minister or, at the very least, strongly hinted at.

The reality facing Irish tillage farmers at the present time is very stark.

The harvests of 2023 and 2024 proved to be challenging to say the least. A combination of bad weather throughout the respective growing seasons impacted heavily on yields.

Harvest 2025 was more acceptable in terms of the yields secured. However, grain markets have fallen to their lowest level in almost four decades.

As a result, Irish tillage farmers have endured three successive years of significant losses. And this is particularly so in the case of crops grown on conacre ground.

Adding yet further pressure to grower margins has been the fall in demand for the likes of malting barley and gluten-free oats.

Up to now, these are crops which would have been universally accepted as having the wherewithal to deliver significant price premiums for farmers. Unfortunately, this no longer seems to be the case.

The end result of all this is a felling of deep pessimism at grower level. And this will be the key driver in delivering a very large turnout of growers for the Naas meeting.