It’s important that tillage farmers speak with one voice in the run-up to the general election on Friday, November 29.
There is too much at stake over the next three weeks for disparate messages to come from farming organisations, where the future of crop production in Ireland is concerned.
The first item on the agenda is to get a clear confirmation from all the political parties that the Food Vision Tillage report remains on the table.
Too much hard work and effort has gone into this process for it to be jettisoned in the wake of a general election.
Allied to this, must be the securing of a commitment from all the political parties that they recognise the pivotal role that tillage plays within Irish agriculture.
And, what’s more, this principle must be converted into meaningful support for farmers into the future.
Tillage farmers
In practical terms, this means that the next government must roll out a long-term policy for tillage, pretty much with immediate effect, and this approach should be more than feasible.
After all, the last three years have seen policy makers from every background bring together all the themes that characterise the uniquely positive aspects of Irish tillage farming.
Meanwhile, we live in fast-changing times. A Donald Trump administration in Washington is almost certain to bring about a new trading order around the world.
The very possible introduction of trading tariffs at an international level could quickly destabilise the way that commodity trading corporations do business around the world.
Further instability involving Ukraine and Russia could well add to these trends, specifically where grains and oilseeds are concerned.
So, how would the future of Irish tillage play out against such a backdrop? These are questions that any member party of a forthcoming Irish government should be prepared to address right now.
It won’t take long for 2025 to roll around, at which stage Donald Trump has promised to unleash a tsunami of new trade measures, all of which have been designed to put the United States of America first.
Global trading instability will not suit the Irish economy at all. But in the context of possible trade wars involving grains and oilseeds kicking off around the world, it would make very good senses for whatever Irish administration is in place to prioritise the growth and sustainability of its own tillage sector.
This is a debate that should take place now, rather than waiting until Donald Trump has actual control of the next United States’ government.