More than half of tillage farmers surveyed by the Irish Farmers Journal expect to lose land in their leases which are due to expire.

The survey also found that the majority of tillage land being lost from the sector is going to dairy farmers.

The loss of tillage land to dairy is mainly due to the unintended consequences of new nitrates banding rules and the fear of a drop in nitrate allowances and ultimately, the potential loss of the nitrates derogation.

Of the 93 farmers surveyed, approximately half were from mixed livestock and tillage farms. Some 37% said they had already lost leased land from their systems this year.

Of those who lost land, almost half (47%) said they could not afford to pay the new higher price. Other reasons given by farmers for losing land were that the land was sold outright, or the land owner was going to farm it themselves.

Some 11% reported that the price had been increased mid-lease.

Some 37% said they had already lost leased land from their systems this year

Sixty five percent of those who lost land said that a dairy farmer had secured the land, 16% went to another tillage farmer, while 5% went to beef farmers.

Solar farms have been previously highlighted as an industry taking tillage land out of production, but it was not quoted by the respondents in this particular survey.

When asked if they expect to be able to hold onto land leases that will expire at the end of 2023, 54% of respondents to the survey said no, while 46% said they thought they would.

For the majority of farmers surveyed, €250/ac-€300/ac was the maximum price they were willing to pay for land. Some 20% said €300/ac was the maximum price, while 30% would pay a maximum price of €250/ac and 22% said they would pay a maximum price of €200/ac.

The prices varied depending on terms such as reseeding grass at the end of the lease, or where potatoes could be included in the rotation.