IFA

IFA president Tim Cullinan said the funding for BEEP-S was too low and would leave support for suckler farmers well below what’s needed.

He added that the 10% concrete levy would mean that TAMS costings will have to be revised.

IFA farm business chair Rose Mary McDonagh said farmland should be excluded from the Zoned Residential Land Tax.

The reduction in the flat-rate VAT refund to 5% was a significant adjustment that would impact farmers by €46m, she added.

IFA president Tim Cullinan. \ Philip Doyle

Macra

Macra said the Government’s commitment to the extension of various young farmer tax reliefs to assist in addressing generational renewal and the challenges of food production and climate change is welcome.

Macra president John Keane. \ Philip Doyle

Macra president John Keane said: “It is now critical that the Government engages proactively with the EU on the agricultural block exemption regulation with a view to getting an increase in the lifetime threshold for young farmers from €70,000 under State Aid rules to €140,000.”

ICMSA

Government made a “reasonable effort” to support farmers in Budget 2023, said ICMSA president Pat McCormack.

However, he highlighted that the Department of Agriculture is “budgeted to receive the smallest increase in expenditure apart from the Department of Taoiseach” and asked if Government “fully grasped” agriculture’s contribution to the economy.

ICMSA president Pat McCormack. \ Philip Doyle

He welcomed the extension and rollovers of tax reliefs such as the young farmer and farm consolidation, stock relief for young farmers and the excise relief on green diesel.

ICSA

While positive about some elements of Budget 2023, the ICSA said it was “stunned” by the 10% levy on ready-mix concrete and blocks. Calling for Government to reconsider the levy, president Dermot Kelleher said it’ll have “huge implications for farmers” and warned it could apply to water troughs.

He welcomed the €28m for an additional suckler scheme as well as another year of the fodder support scheme but said beef finishers and sheep farmers will be “very disappointed”.

ICSA president Dermot Kelleher. \ Philip Doyle