Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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958. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to put in place a realistic support scheme for the viability of tillage farming, to increase the percentage of farmland tilled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48628/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I fully recognise the pressures facing the tillage sector due to a challenging market outlook and downward price pressure this season, and I have recently engaged directly with the farming organisations to hear their concerns.

This Government recognises the importance of the tillage sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops. In recognition of the sector’s importance, my Department has provided significant direct supports to tillage farmers in recent years.

This year, the budget for the Protein Aid Scheme is €10m, having increased from €7m to €10m annually from last year. Applications for 66,000 hectares of cereals and oilseed rape straw were submitted for chopping and incorporating under the Straw Incorporation Measure this year, and I have made the decision to pay all applicants under the scheme.

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 last Spring.

The Farming for Water EIP has a budget of €60m to support targeted on-farm additional measures to improve water quality, including establishment of cover crops. This year, almost 1,400 tillage farmers have expressed an interest in establishing cover crops under the EIP. The tillage sector is also being supported under other schemes, including the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme, ACRES and the Organic Farming Scheme.

The Food Vision Tillage Group report identifies opportunities to grow the sector and to further improve its environmental footprint. My Department continues to engage with stakeholders to progress the actions in the report, which will require collaboration and sustained effort from all stakeholders.

The Government remains committed to the sector, and I will continue working with my colleagues across Government to ensure essential targeted supports are provided where possible.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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959. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to broaden the scope of the TAMS in order to allow for the grant aiding of a wider range of machinery used by tillage farmers to be included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48629/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) is a demand led scheme which is fully subscribed based on its existing configuration. As a result, it is not possible to consider adding wider range of investments to the comprehensive list of investment items already available under TAMS at this time.