Letter urging support for the Irish tillage sector

DEAR EDITOR

The IFA national grain committee is very concerned about the current trends and sentiments in grain markets and its impact on the future viability of tillage farming in Ireland. Indications of a feed barley price around €185/t will present a loss-making scenario on the majority of farms, with very substantial losses for those on rented or leased land. Despite the favourable weather, morale among tillage farmers is close to an all-time low.

The price of grain is the principal driver of profitability on tillage farms. EU grain prices are at the mercy of world commodity markets, which are completely beyond a farmer’s control.

Native Irish grain prices are being undermined by cheap imports of feedstuffs from outside the EU, which are subject to much lower production standards and regulations around plant protection products and genetically modified seeds.

The playing pitch has never been so unlevel.

Tillage farmers also feel strongly that native grains should be used in Irish livestock feed. We farmers accept Ireland is unable to produce enough grain to meet all feed requirements. However, despite this, growers and merchants are often left carrying over native Irish grain in stores, which completely defies logic.

Sourcing additional feed supplies on a least cost formulation basis is a race to the bottom. It appears that some large feed mills have no interest in sourcing any native grain.

Government support is needed to ensure tillage farming remains viable. That’s why IFA has campaigned for a €65m, €250/ha tillage survival plan from the Government - something the IFA has made a priority in its pre-budget campaign.

The IFA had some success in securing €100/ha funding for the tillage sector last year. However, at an IFA pre-budget meeting with the Minister and his officials, and a Kildare IFA meeting recently, guarantees on another tillage support package were far from forthcoming. We will continue to lobby hard at a national and local level for a tillage support package.

However, support from Government alone will not be sufficient to secure the future of the Irish tillage sector. We need greater support from the wider agricultural sector, our mills and our fellow farmers.