Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Our family farms have demonstrated their adaptability and resilience, in the face of huge challenges in recent years, continuing to deliver safe and nutritious food for Irish and international markets. I am however acutely aware of the difficulties facing family farms as a result of these challenges.

Last month Teagasc announced their National Farm Survey (NFS) income estimates for 2023 and forecast for 2024. We are all aware that 2023 has been a challenging year, with increased input prices and decreases in output prices, especially the milk price.

Following record income on dairy farms in 2022 (when income was up 50%), average income in 2023 is estimated to have decreased by 60%.

This decrease in income is similar for tillage farmers, who have faced very difficult growing conditions, with lower prices on top of increased input prices.

I was pleased to see that my ongoing support for suckler and sheep farmers has contributed to an increase in their income this year.

Looking ahead to 2024, it is good to see the recovery forecast in dairy and tillage incomes, as well as a rise in drystock income. The forecast reduction in input prices and rise in output prices will see a return back towards the average levels of income seen for a number of years before 2023.

In Budget 2024, I secured gross funding of €1.94 billion for my Department, with a number of specific measures to support our farm and fishing families. This funding supports the sector’s environmental ambition and on-farm sustainability, while at the same time supporting farmer incomes and providing vital infrastructure to support the development of our fishing sector and coastal communities. Budget 2024 supports farm families as we implement the targeted supports for farmers provided in the largest ever €10 billion CAP Strategic Plan (CSP). A number of the measures announced in the budget are:

• Over €100m in supports for Beef and Sheep sectors (€200/cow; €20/ewe).
• Over €700 million in funding in 2024 for agri-environment initiatives.
• €8m in targeted support for Tillage farmers.
• Key agri-taxation supports secured and land leasing targeted at active farmers.
• Expanding ACRES to accommodate the full 50k participants promised under the CSP.
• €57m allocation to support Organic farmers.
• €110m in funding provided to drive ambitions of the Forestry Programme.
• €6.5m dairy beef scheme.
• Continued support for coastal communities through investment in fisheries harbours and community piers.

Of course, the Budget figure excludes almost €1.2 billion paid directly through EU schemes, bringing total expenditure for 2024 to some €3.1 billion. In 2022 Irish farms received an average of €18,948 in direct payments to assist in the viability of their farms.

Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, puts farmers and fishers, as our primary producers, at its core. Maintaining the model of family farming is a stated ambition.

I will continue to support our family farms who I firmly believe are the backbone of Irish Agriculture as I have done in the past.