Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)

I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this important issue and I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the challenges currently being experienced by tillage farmers throughout the country and to outline the Government’s response.

I acknowledge the pressures facing the tillage sector. Coming on the back of two horrendously difficult years weather-wise, conditions for harvest 2025 were, thankfully, much more favourable. That has allowed fieldwork to be undertaken and completed in a timely fashion with generally good yields. However, the sector has encountered additional pressures this year due to challenging market conditions and downward pressure on prices, as the Senator stated. This, combined with continued high input costs, has had a significant negative impact on crop margins.

The Government recognises the importance of the tillage sector. It is an integral part of Irish farming and produces high-quality animal feed and bedding for the livestock sector and ingredients for the food and drink industry. The sector makes a significant contribution to the Irish economy, estimated at €1.9 billion per annum over the 2018-22 period. It is also important in terms of employment and is estimated to support over 11,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

My ministerial colleagues and I regularly engage with farmer representative bodies on tillage matters. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, has met them on several occasions since his appointment, including through pre-budget engagements and, most recently, at the tillage crisis meeting held on 12 September in Naas. I fully understand their concerns and their ambition to support, grow and develop the sector. The Government shares that ambition and is committed to growing the sector in line with targets set out in the climate action plan. My Department has provided substantial supports to tillage farmers in recent years. Schemes specific to the tillage sector, including the straw incorporation measure, the tillage incentive scheme, the protein aid scheme and the tillage capital investment scheme, have proved popular among tillage growers and it is widely acknowledged that these schemes made a significant contribution to the tillage sector in recent years as well as contributing to meeting Ireland’s environmental objectives.

In 2026, my Department will support the tillage sector with funding of €50 million through the protein aid scheme, the straw incorporation measure and a new tillage support scheme.This marks a significant and direct investment by the Government, evidencing its commitment to the sector.

Having secured a funding allocation for the new tillage support scheme, my Department intends to consult further with stakeholders on its design and operation in due course. In addition to these measures, tillage growers will continue to benefit from other schemes next year, including the tillage capital investment scheme, ACRES and the organic farming scheme. This year, the budget for the protein aid scheme is €10 million, having increased from €7 million to €10 million annually from last year. Applications totalling €15 million in value and covering approximately 66,000 hectares of cereals and oilseed rape straw were submitted under the straw incorporation measure and the Department made the decision to approve payments to all eligible applicants. In February of this year, I announced €32.4 million in payments under the tillage and horticulture support scheme. The Farming for Water EIP, with a total budget of €60 million, is supporting targeted on-farm measures to improve water quality. Over 1,400 tillage farmers have expressed interest in establishing cover crops under this initiative in 2025.

As I mentioned at the outset, this Government wants to grow and develop the sector in the years ahead. It was for this reason that the Food Vision tillage group was established in 2023 to provide a clear roadmap for the sustainable growth and development of the sector while improving its environmental footprint. The report of the Food Vision tillage group is a comprehensive document containing 28 action points across several themes. It identifies opportunities for growth, including the development of new value-added opportunities for Irish tillage crop output to strengthen the sector’s long-term sustainability.

My Department continues to engage with stakeholders to progress the implementation of these actions. As it is an industry-led report, its success will depend on continued collaboration and sustained effort from all stakeholders.