In a letter sent this Thursday to the grain growers who shared information on crop losses to excessive rain this year, the IFA called on farmers to contact their local TDs to “keep the pressure on”. This follows a meeting with members of the joint Oireachtas agriculture committee last week, and sustained efforts in the past few months to secure a crop loss aid package in Dublin and in Brussels.

IFA president Joe Healy and his French colleagues were instrumental in getting a proposal out at EU level in October, with France advocating for an aid package after its cereal production fell by 24% this year due to bad weather.

According to the IFA, it is now up to Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to make a decision. In response to a parliamentary question last week, he said that there is “no specific funding available for losses due to poor weather conditions”. The IFA believes that a final push could make him change his mind.