Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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106. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to support struggling farmers in the tillage sector. [55103/25]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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116. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports for the tillage sector announced in Budget 2026. [55034/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 116 together.

I fully recognise the pressures facing the tillage sector, not least the very 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 will be supporting the tillage sector in 2026 with funding of at least €50m through the Protein Aid Scheme, the Straw Incorporation Measure and a Tillage Support Scheme. Having secured additional funding in Budget 2026 for a Tillage Support Scheme, I intend to consult with stakeholders on its design and operation in due course.

In addition to commitments made in Budget 2026, my Department has provided significant direct supports to tillage farmers in recent years. This year, the budget for the Protein Aid Scheme was €10m, having increased from €7m to €10m annually from last year. Applications for approximately 66,000 hectares of cereals and oilseed rape straw were submitted for chopping and incorporating under the Straw Incorporation Measure this year, and I 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, over 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, and as it is an industry report, it will require collaboration and sustained effort from all stakeholders.

I will continue to work with the tillage sector and provide targeted support where possible given the strategic importance of the sector within the wider agricultural industry.