The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that urgent support is needed for the tillage sector if the government wants more grain to be grown this year.
The comments come ahead of the first meeting of the new National Fodder and Food Security Committee this morning.
The committee, which will be led by former Animal Health Ireland (AHI) chair and Longford dairy farmer Mike Magan, will gather at the Teagasc facility in Moorepark.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, who will address the meeting, is also currently drafting a multi-million euro package of supports to ensure farmers can grow enough feed and fodder.
The measure is due to be presented to the Cabinet by the end of March. Both the new committee and support package are part of the government response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Tillage farmers
IFA National Grain Committee chair Kieran McEvoy explained that urgent government measures are needed for the tillage sector as costs continue to climb.
“While the minister has been talking about the need to grow more grain, it’s more likely we will have less grain due to rocketing input prices.
“The minister needs to act now to support tillage farmers who are the people with the experience, expertise and equipment to grow more crops.
“Agricultural diesel prices have skyrocketed since the conflict in Ukraine began. At current prices, it will cost an extra €100 a hectare in diesel alone to produce grain,” McEvoy outlined.
The IFA Grain chair called for further cuts in excise duty and the carbon tax. He said that it is crucial that enough agri-diesel is secured ahead of the key spring and summer season.
McEvoy stated that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) need to carry out an immediate inventory of fertiliser stocks in the country.
The IFA also wants a funding scheme for the building of slurry and manure storage infrastructure on tillage farms.
The IFA Grain chair said that collaboration between tillage farmers and other sectors should be promoted, but only on a voluntary basis.
“The tillage sector is in a position to supply more grain and feedstuffs for the livestock sector this year and into the future to help offset some of shortages anticipated in supply chains following the war in Ukraine.
“As it stands, only 7.5% of the Irish agricultural area is devoted to crop production. It’s critically important that any further decline is halted and future policy decisions must aim to restore the cropped area to at least 11% of the agricultural land area.
“There is a massive opportunity to strengthen Irish food security for both animal and human consumption. The restoration of an Irish flour milling industry also has to be a priority,” McEvoy concluded.