By Megan O’Brien
The next government must provide real support for the tillage sector by fighting for the nitrates derogation and considering tax incentives for landowners, James Brennan a tillage and dairy farmer has said.
Speaking to Agriland, Brennan who is farming in partnership with his father and two uncles, said that the tillage sector has not been fairly represented over recent years, despite challenging weather conditions, high input costs and increased pressure on the land rental market.
“It needs more support, there’s a lot of lip service being paid to increasing the tillage area up to 400,000ha, but really the actions haven’t been delivered on that front.
“The Food Vision Tillage Group was set up nearly two years ago now and its findings came out almost a year ago. But there has been absolutely no movement on it and I think that’s something that should be dealt with first and foremost the minute the new government is formed,” he added.
While Brennan and his family are not derogation farmers, he recognises the importance of retaining the nitrates derogation for the tillage sector specifically, due to its reliance on rented land which would become “extremely difficult to access”.
“There will be a huge demand from the dairy sector for land and tillage farmers just won’t be able to compete.
“It will also affect the wider rural economy, a lot of money has been spent on dairy farms and if cow numbers drop that will have a big effect. Protecting a vibrant tillage sector is vital for the wider agricultural economy,” he outlined.
Tillage farmers
Looking at the difficulties that tillage farmers often encounter when trying to secure land, Brennan called on the next government to consider tax incentives that would encourage landowners to rent to tillage farmers instead.
He also appealed to everyone in rural Ireland to consider this when casting their vote tomorrow (Friday, November 29) and to do their research on what the various political parties’ plans are for protecting this.
“I understand it’s not entirely in the hands of our own government, there’s a lot to be played out in Europe but we need a strong party that is going to do their utmost to retain the derogation,” he said.
Environment
According to Brennan farmers want to do their bit for the environment but he feels that too much blame is sometimes placed on the sector and that it can sometimes feel like there are two sets of rules.
He also has concerns about the proposed EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement that is currently being negotiated.
“Some green politicians will talk about data centres and we have the ideal climate for them and if they’re not in Ireland, they’re going to be somewhere else.
“When we argue that we should be allowed to produce food here so that it doesn’t come from somewhere less sustainable, that argument is not allowed.
“So maybe there’s a little bit of double standards at play there,” he noted.
The last year has been stressful for Brennan and his family after a difficult spring which led to a level of uncertainty. He believes this feeling is echoed across all sectors at the moment because “people really don’t know what’s coming around the corner”
Another area Brennan would like to see the incoming government take action on is the premium grains sector, which is heavily connected to the brewing and distilling industry.
“A lot of Irish whiskey is made with non-Irish grain and I don’t think that’s right, it needs to be addressed straight away to give our tillage sector a fair and fighting chance,” he said.