Tirlán today (Monday, September 28) published its grain pricing for harvest 2026, which includes a price of €220/t for green feed barley and €230/t for green feed wheat - including the trading bonus.

But harvest 2026 fell well short of last year’s bumper performance, with Tirlán reporting a total grain intake of 190,000 tonnes -significantly below last year's exceptional harvest.

The 2025 harvest saw the co-op's grain intake hit almost 223,000 tonnes, which was an increase of 45,000 tonnes on the 2024 figure.

Last year Tirlán's grain pricing for harvest 2025 set a price of €190/t for green feed barley and €200/t for green feed wheat.

This year the co-op said growers will have the opportunity to earn additional premiums for higher-value crops, with €2 million in bonus payments earmarked for premium grains this harvest.

These crops include malting barley, gluten-free oats, winter Cassia barley and HEAR (High Erucic Acid Rapeseed).

According to the co-op over 42% of the Tirlán harvest intake will qualify for a premium payment.

Grain growers

Ger O'Brien, the chair of Tirlán, today commended the co-op's tillage farmers for their "remarkable resilience by producing high-quality crops in a challenging environment".

O'Brien added: "Against a backdrop of input cost pressures and global market volatility, the grain they produce remains a vital ingredient in Ireland's food and feed supply chain."

The co-op is also encouraging farmers to "support the domestic tillage sector" by choosing feed products manufactured using Irish grain.

O'Brien said: "There is a strong connection between the Irish livestock and tillage sectors.

"By supporting feed manufacturers that source Irish grain, livestock farmers can help strengthen the sustainability, security and traceability of domestic food production while supporting fellow farm families."