Ms Louise Byrne:

First, there is a very strict regime regarding the rules and requirements on imports of feed into the European Union. GM feed is allowed to be imported but there are specific rules around the labelling of feed.

On where the increase for tillage is going to come from, there is no doubt that access to land was identified as a significant challenge to increasing the area under tillage crops. Ultimately, the decision to invest in tillage rests with the farmers themselves. What we need to do is give confidence to the sector. We need people to think there is an opportunity and a future in the sector. Of course supports will form a strategic plank of that, but there are also other things that we are doing. One of the things we tried to do was to consider the supports for nutrient importation schemes in August 2024 and enhanced nutrient storage for dairy farmers and other farmers, basically so that they could store slurry rather than having to rent more land.