Agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue was handed the final report from the Food Vision Tillage Group almost a month ago, but still, we await his reply.
Surely he can’t be thinking that a few days decent weather will keep the tillage farmers off his back, while he dithers on how to best come through on promises previously made to a sector that has been put though the ringer since the last Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) deal was foisted upon it.
Please note that the previous sentence makes no reference at all to the impact of the atrocious weather that has engulfed the country as a whole over the past 12 months.
The Food Vision Tillage Group was established to address the strategic challenges and opportunities that now confront those Irish farmers who grow crops for a living.
All of this is set against a clear backdrop of two fundamental issues. The first is the government’s own recognition of the fundamental role that tillage can play in lowering the carbon footprint of agriculture as a whole.
So much so, in fact, that the national response to climate change targets include a commitment to expand the tillage footprint to 400,000ha. This figure represents a 25% increase, relative to current planting levels.
The other fundamental for tillage farmers goes back to the outworking of the last CAP deal agreed for Ireland, and this is unfinished business.
Minister McConalogue
Tillage farmers believe they were unfairly treated when it came to the most recent allocation of CAP supports, and they want Minister McConalogue to rectify this matter through his response to the Food Vision Tillage Group report.
They are absolutely right in expecting an appropriate response from government in this regard.
The last year or so, has seen tillage farmers being unable to compete for conacre ground because the current finances of their businesses are on such an unstable footing.
This is all about the creation of a level playing field for all the land-based sectors. Minister McConalogue is duty bound to meet this fundamental requirement.
To his credit, the minister has repeatedly asserted that he remains committed to meeting the needs of tillage farmers and has continued to espouse the principles associated with the projected growth in Ireland’s cropping area.
Now he has a chance to put some meat on the bones, where the delivery of these previously-made pledges is concerned.
Let’s hope that he delivers his response to the Food Vision Tillage Group report at an event attended by key stakeholders within the tillage sector.
Simply issuing a possible press statement late on a Friday evening wouldn’t really cut the mustard.