The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has called on Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon to uphold key farming sector commitments laid out in the Programme for Government by reversing cuts to drystock schemes and scrapping a planned curtailment in the availability of grant aid for on-farm solar.
The association’s rural development chair John Curran stated that “political action in recent weeks has hit farmers hard”.
“These decisions need to be corrected urgently or there could be significant long-term consequences. Mixed political messages are helping no one.
“Political decisions have turned the dial in the wrong direction.
“The Minister and his Government colleagues need to correct it and soon, before further trust and confidence in this Government’s commitments to farming is eroded.”
Curran gave the recent cuts in payment rates in the Budget 2025 suckler and sheep schemes, as well as the reduction in the number of payable calves under the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme as examples of this mixed messaging when the Programme for Government had identified a need to “strengthen farm incomes”.
Enhance
“To strengthen farm incomes means to add or enhance them, not take away from them,” the IFA chair continued.
“Farmers entered these schemes in good faith and incurred the costs of doing so. They need to be paid in full as anticipated.”
Curran further called out the apparent deviation in recent funding decisions from the Government’s pledges when it was formed by drawing attention to the commitment to harness renewable energy in the agriculture sector.
“But because of inadequate support and political decisions, it's likely only one in every four farmer applications through tranche nine of the TAMS III solar scheme will be supported,” he said.
“And only one in two applications for LESS technologies will be supported.
“Given our makeup, farmers will always be in the spotlight when it comes to cutting emissions and reducing our environmental footprint,” Curran stated.
“Rooftop solar and LESS are key interventions that will make a difference,” he said, adding that a “lack of progress can’t always be put at the door of farmers”.
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The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has called on Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon to uphold key farming sector commitments laid out in the Programme for Government by reversing cuts to drystock schemes and scrapping a planned curtailment in the availability of grant aid for on-farm solar.
The association’s rural development chair John Curran stated that “political action in recent weeks has hit farmers hard”.
“These decisions need to be corrected urgently or there could be significant long-term consequences. Mixed political messages are helping no one.
“Political decisions have turned the dial in the wrong direction.
“The Minister and his Government colleagues need to correct it and soon, before further trust and confidence in this Government’s commitments to farming is eroded.”
Curran gave the recent cuts in payment rates in the Budget 2025 suckler and sheep schemes, as well as the reduction in the number of payable calves under the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme as examples of this mixed messaging when the Programme for Government had identified a need to “strengthen farm incomes”.
Enhance
“To strengthen farm incomes means to add or enhance them, not take away from them,” the IFA chair continued.
“Farmers entered these schemes in good faith and incurred the costs of doing so. They need to be paid in full as anticipated.”
Curran further called out the apparent deviation in recent funding decisions from the Government’s pledges when it was formed by drawing attention to the commitment to harness renewable energy in the agriculture sector.
“But because of inadequate support and political decisions, it's likely only one in every four farmer applications through tranche nine of the TAMS III solar scheme will be supported,” he said.
“And only one in two applications for LESS technologies will be supported.
“Given our makeup, farmers will always be in the spotlight when it comes to cutting emissions and reducing our environmental footprint,” Curran stated.
“Rooftop solar and LESS are key interventions that will make a difference,” he said, adding that a “lack of progress can’t always be put at the door of farmers”.
Read more
Heydon accused of throwing solar supports 'under the bus'
Buying TAMS mobile items before approval
Minister sounds alarm on TAMS funding
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