Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Tillage is an important part of our agrifood sector and the rural economy. A University College Dublin report from 2020 showed that Irish tillage generates €1.3 billion in economic outputs and supports 11,000 jobs. It is also one of the sectors within agriculture that has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions and it is already carbon neutral in many cases. Despite all of this, the sector is not being supported properly by the Government and tillage farmers are under severe pressure. I want an update on what the Department is doing to increase the amount of land being farmed for tillage purposes. We all know the tillage sector is not reaching its full potential in Ireland.

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