Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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154. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports in place for tillage farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25729/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The tillage sector is an integral part of Irish farming and makes a significant contribution to overall agricultural output. This Government recognises the importance of the sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead.

My Department has provided significant direct supports to tillage farmers. The financial allocation for coupled support under the Protein Aid Scheme has been increased to €10m annually from 2024. The Straw Incorporation Measure, which was first introduced as a Pilot Scheme in 2021 and 2022, is now included in the current CAP Strategic Plan with an allocation of €50m over 5 years.

The Tillage Incentive Scheme was introduced in 2022 in response to the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine. €20m was allocated over the lifetime of the support measure. The Tillage Capital Investment Scheme under TAMS provides support for a broad range of investments to support farmers to achieve improved competitiveness, increased efficiency, growth and environmental benefits.

The 2023 and 2024 growing seasons were challenging for growers. In response to these challenges, the Government provided additional direct financial support. Over €14m was paid out in January 2024 to support growers with unharvested crops in 2023 by way of an Unharvested Crop Support Scheme and as a once-off flat rate payment.

In February this year, I announced €32.4 million of payments under the Tillage and Horticulture Support Scheme which was Government’s response to the difficult position tillage and horticultural farmers found themselves in due to exceptionally poor weather and continued high input costs in Spring last year.

The report of the Food Vision Tillage Group sets out a road map for the sustainable growth and development of the sector. It is a very comprehensive report that identifies opportunities to grow the sector and to further improve its environmental footprint. My Department will continue to engage with stakeholders to progress the implementation of the actions in the report. This will require collaboration and commitment from many stakeholders across the sector.

I will continue to work with the tillage sector given the importance of the sector within the wider agricultural industry, and to deliver on the commitment in the Programme for Government to invest significantly in the tillage sector over the next five years.