Martin Heydon showed the benefit of his apprenticeship in the Department of Agriculture when it came to delivering his first budget as senior minister on Wednesday.

His understanding of his brief, informed by almost five years as a minister of State, meant he could put a positive message out to farmers.

He made a great play of the 9% increase in his department’s allocation but it’s actually a smaller percentage of the Government’s overall budget than last year.

The burgeoning cost of TB is undoubtedly draining resources from other potential sources of investment in farming’s future, but was presented as the funding for a “step-change” in TB control, confronting the three infection threats of wildlife, residual and animal-to-animal transmission.

However, there needs to be early signs of the money and the strategy it underpins not only curbing spiralling reactor numbers, but also properly supporting the thousands of farmers out of pocket and under massive mental stress as a result of being locked up and partially or completely depopulated.

Because, ultimately, the Department of Agriculture is responsible for disease control strategy, and TB is clearly out of control.

Previous strategy failures have contributed to the current situation.

Tillage

Farmers will thus see the extra €85m in TB funding as an opportunity cost. Especially tillage farmers. The relentless campaign since it became apparent that 2025 harvest prices would leave grain farmers out of pocket was for €250/ha.

In the event (as predicted here), Heydon has only found half that sum. This would be easier to stand over if he hadn’t told tillage farmers last year that he would deliver €60m of new money every year should he become minister.

There is speculation that this money will be targeted towards smaller and medium-sized growers, with some aspect of degressivity.

On succession, the minister makes the reasonable point that the Commission on Generational Renewal’s report is hot off the press, that his priority was to ensure the renewal of vital (and costly) tax incentives that defray the costs of family farm handover. That said, there were 20 recommendations not linked to the next CAP, and farmers will want to see at least some of those introduced in the months ahead.

Martin Heydon said he views this budget as the first of five, as a solid base. He’ll need to start building on that base next year, or the pressure on him will grow.