A Co. Wexford TD told the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue that a support package for tillage farmers that consists of €11/ac, “warrants a slap”.
Independent TD Verona Murphy questioned the minister in the Dáil earlier this week (October 26) on whether “he acknowledged the emergency support package for tillage farmers needs to be increased”.
In response, Minister McConalogue referred to the funding support package of €7.148 million euro that was announced at the beginning of October to help struggling tillage farmers.
This would result in a flat rate payment of €28/ha made on the area of oilseed rape, winter and spring oats, barley, wheat and rye declared under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) in 2023 for tillage farmers.
Minister McConalogue said: “Obviously, some farmers have not yet harvested their grain. The farming organisations have made that point to me.
“I am open to their suggestions and will work with them to see how we can best utilise and structure the funding I got in the budget announced two weeks ago.”
The flat rate payment of €28/ha, or €11/ac, is expected to be made in January 2024.
Deputy Murphy said: “[The minister] offered the farmers €28 a hectare for an input cost of €600.
“What part of that is worthy of a slap on the back?”
While Minister McConalogue said “nobody is looking for slaps on the back here,” Deputy Murphy replied “€11/ac warrants a slap somewhere else”.
“Farming has never been in such a poor situation,” the Co. Wexford TD added, who also warned that “when the farmers are gone, they are gone”.
Targeting the tillage sector
Minister McConalogue and Deputy Murphy did agree upon the need to target the funding and support for the tillage sector.
Minister McConalogue said: “For the first time in the past two years, we have seen a 6% growth in the area under tillage. The really challenging situation this year is going to put real pressure on that. That is something I want to support the sector with over the next period.”
Referring to the €21 million in supports available for the tillage sector, Minister McConalogue said he is “working closely with the representative groups to see how we can best target that.
“I want to work with their representatives to make sure we target the funding we have made available at government level in a way that provides the support to those who most need it.”
Deputy Murphy replied that the funding “does need to be targeted” and that it “is something the sector itself believes”.