The IFA protest that rumbled on for the last week came to an end yesterday, with the minister agreeing to meet with the IFA over the proposed tillage crisis fund. Crucially, there will be no preconditions in the talk, with initial fears that a cap of €5,000 per farmer was being imposed as one of the conditions of the scheme. The meeting was believed to have started at 9am this morning and is currently ongoing.

This announcement last week of a €5,000 cap led to the IFA occupying the Agricultural House in protest. The IFA then stressed that it would not enter into negotiations with the the Department until it removed the precondition of the €5,000 cap on crisis funds.

The IFA is seeking a much higher cap of €15,000 for the scheme.

In a statement to the Irish Farmers Journal IFA President Joe Healy has said that "negotiations are ongoing between the IFA and the minister on the tillage crisis fund. We hope to have something credible for farmers by end of the day."

Full coverage on the tillage crisis fund

Negotiations ongoing between the IFA and the Minister

The Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed will this morning sit down with the IFA to discuss the tillage crisis fund.