The current challenges facing the tillage industry were highlighted to the Oireachtas agriculture committee on Wednesday afternoon, with the number of farmers exiting the sector a major cause for concern.

Some stark figures about an industry which is said to be losing one farmer a week were raised by the Irish Grain Growers Group (IGGG), the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and Tillage Industry Ireland (TII).

The area under tillage has fallen 40% in 40 years and this is mainly due to the fact that tillage farmers are dealing with 1980s prices and 2025 production costs, Clive Carter from the IGGG said.

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In terms of profitability for 2025, farm organisations explained how tillage farmers on owned land will do well to break even and those on rented land could lose up to €600/ha.

Imports

Imports of cheap grain for use in animal feed was another issue raised with TDs and senators on Wednesday.

Ireland produces roughly 1.8m tonnes of feed grains and imports just under 5m tonnes, Andy Doyle from TII explained.

"Yet, sometimes we have to get rid of some of our own to make room in stores. There's something wrong when that happens.

"The price that any farmer receives is set by the price at port. The price at port is coming from the cheapest sources in the world that have much cheaper fertiliser, much cheaper inputs and they have other technologies that we can't use.

"That's making us less and less competitive and our incomes are being eroded as a consequence," Doyle said.

IFA grain chair Kieran McEvoy said that despite Irish tillage farmers being some of the best in the world, their hands are tied.

"We're one of the highest countries in Europe to do business in, we also have the constraints of the amount of land available for tillage due to land pressures in the market. Irish farmers are dealing with countries [which] have much different standards," he said.

McEvoy explained to the committee how in the region of 53% of imported feed is genetically modified and calls were made for Irish grain to receive more promotion like Irish beef and dairy.

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The IGGG has the tallest ask from Government, seeking a financial package of €92m per year over five years. The core element of this would be a €350/ha payment.

Meanwhile, the IFA looked for €65m over five years, including a tillage survival payment of €250/ha in its pre-budget submission.

Deputy chief inspector at the Department of Agriculture Louise Byrne told the committee that the reality is that the tillage sector is exposed to world commodity prices, which, she said, is a challenge.

"Tillage has good years and then it has bad years and, unfortunately, we are on the back of three particularly bad years. But are we optimistic for the future? We are. Stakeholders have put down what we collectively believe is the pathway to maximising the opportunities for the tillage sector."

The 2023 Climate Action Plan sets out an ambition to increase the area under tillage to 400,000ha by 2030.

However, the current area under tillage is around 330,000ha, including potatoes.