Supports of €300/suckler cow should be included in next week’s budget, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
IFA livestock chair Declan Hanrahan said Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon must build supports for suckler farmers in next week’s budget to the €300/cow mark.
The livestock chair added that this commitment was given to farmers by Minister Heydon and his party in their election manifesto.
“Twenty-eight million euro was provided in last year’s budget to bring payments to €225/cow for the first 22 cows this year. This must be built on to bring the payment to €300/cow for all suckler cows,” he stated.
Hanrahan added that the suckler sector has lost over 250,000 cows in the last 10 years.
Suckler farming is based on small-scale vulnerable farms, predominantly on the west coast of Ireland. They are heavily dependent on direct supports for family farm income, with this dependence at 132% for 2024 alone, he said.
Hanrahan added that the viability and long-term sustainability of suckler farming is heavily reliant on the levels of direct support provided to the sector.
Financial capacity
Market prices are important, he said, but suckler farmers do not have the financial capacity to invest long term on their farms with the volatility of market prices.
“We have had a good year this year where for the first time in most suckler farmers’ memory we are getting a price that reflects the actual production costs on farms, but there is no guarantee these prices will be available next year,” he said.
The livestock chair stated that the Minister cannot shy away from the political commitment given to suckler farmers, nor can he attempt to justify failing to provide increased supports to suckler farmers based on one good year of sales for the sector.
Whole-farm approach
Meanwhile, IFA farm business chair Bill O’Keeffe has called on Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers to ensure that Ireland’s most important indigenous sector, the agri-food sector, and in particular farmers, receive the necessary supports in Budget 2026.
O’Keeffe acknowledged the significant economic challenges currently facing the country, but stressed that Government must also recognise the vital and permanent role of agriculture in the national economy.
“Agriculture is here to stay and will continue to contribute, regardless of geopolitical uncertainty,” he stated.
He highlighted the tillage sector in particular as needing support in the budget.
“Without immediate and substantial commitments next week, many tillage farmers will be forced out of the sector. [The] IFA will not accept the demise of this critical part of Irish agriculture.
“The average age of Irish farmers is 59. If we are to encourage the next generation, the current cohort of farmers must be viable.
“Existing supports are essential to safeguarding farm incomes. Despite much-needed improvements in some commodity prices in 2025, many farmers remain dependent on our farm schemes, with the majority of livestock and tillage farmers earning below the national industrial wage,” he added.
O’Keeffe outlined several priority measures that must be delivered in Budget 2026, including:
Support for the tillage sector.Continuation of existing taxation reliefs, particularly those facilitating generational renewal.Increased funding for TB compensation and eradication scheme.Increased funding allocation to TAMS.A permanent exemption for actively farmed land from residential zoned land tax.Enhanced funding for farming schemes.Dedicated funding for farmers from the climate and nature fund.Bill O’Keeffe stated that this is the first budget of this Government and farmers expect meaningful delivery.
“The decisions made in the coming days and announced in next week’s budget will be a clear signal of the Government’s commitment to safeguarding the future of Irish farming,” he added.
IFA rural development chair John Curran said farmers, across all sectors, need tangible support, even more so in this budget than last year. And there’s no point robbing Peter to pay Paul.
“It’s additional supports, not redistributed support, that’s needed. We need existing supports to remain and others, such as the Areas of Natural Constraint budget, to revert back to where they were in the past.
“Time will tell how much our Minister and elected representatives really understand the pressures on farm at the moment,” Curran said.
Supports of €300/suckler cow should be included in next week’s budget, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
IFA livestock chair Declan Hanrahan said Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon must build supports for suckler farmers in next week’s budget to the €300/cow mark.
The livestock chair added that this commitment was given to farmers by Minister Heydon and his party in their election manifesto.
“Twenty-eight million euro was provided in last year’s budget to bring payments to €225/cow for the first 22 cows this year. This must be built on to bring the payment to €300/cow for all suckler cows,” he stated.
Hanrahan added that the suckler sector has lost over 250,000 cows in the last 10 years.
Suckler farming is based on small-scale vulnerable farms, predominantly on the west coast of Ireland. They are heavily dependent on direct supports for family farm income, with this dependence at 132% for 2024 alone, he said.
Hanrahan added that the viability and long-term sustainability of suckler farming is heavily reliant on the levels of direct support provided to the sector.
Financial capacity
Market prices are important, he said, but suckler farmers do not have the financial capacity to invest long term on their farms with the volatility of market prices.
“We have had a good year this year where for the first time in most suckler farmers’ memory we are getting a price that reflects the actual production costs on farms, but there is no guarantee these prices will be available next year,” he said.
The livestock chair stated that the Minister cannot shy away from the political commitment given to suckler farmers, nor can he attempt to justify failing to provide increased supports to suckler farmers based on one good year of sales for the sector.
Whole-farm approach
Meanwhile, IFA farm business chair Bill O’Keeffe has called on Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers to ensure that Ireland’s most important indigenous sector, the agri-food sector, and in particular farmers, receive the necessary supports in Budget 2026.
O’Keeffe acknowledged the significant economic challenges currently facing the country, but stressed that Government must also recognise the vital and permanent role of agriculture in the national economy.
“Agriculture is here to stay and will continue to contribute, regardless of geopolitical uncertainty,” he stated.
He highlighted the tillage sector in particular as needing support in the budget.
“Without immediate and substantial commitments next week, many tillage farmers will be forced out of the sector. [The] IFA will not accept the demise of this critical part of Irish agriculture.
“The average age of Irish farmers is 59. If we are to encourage the next generation, the current cohort of farmers must be viable.
“Existing supports are essential to safeguarding farm incomes. Despite much-needed improvements in some commodity prices in 2025, many farmers remain dependent on our farm schemes, with the majority of livestock and tillage farmers earning below the national industrial wage,” he added.
O’Keeffe outlined several priority measures that must be delivered in Budget 2026, including:
Support for the tillage sector.Continuation of existing taxation reliefs, particularly those facilitating generational renewal.Increased funding for TB compensation and eradication scheme.Increased funding allocation to TAMS.A permanent exemption for actively farmed land from residential zoned land tax.Enhanced funding for farming schemes.Dedicated funding for farmers from the climate and nature fund.Bill O’Keeffe stated that this is the first budget of this Government and farmers expect meaningful delivery.
“The decisions made in the coming days and announced in next week’s budget will be a clear signal of the Government’s commitment to safeguarding the future of Irish farming,” he added.
IFA rural development chair John Curran said farmers, across all sectors, need tangible support, even more so in this budget than last year. And there’s no point robbing Peter to pay Paul.
“It’s additional supports, not redistributed support, that’s needed. We need existing supports to remain and others, such as the Areas of Natural Constraint budget, to revert back to where they were in the past.
“Time will tell how much our Minister and elected representatives really understand the pressures on farm at the moment,” Curran said.
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