The lack of funding for tillage farmers is regrettable, according to Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who says that the sector needs to be protected.
Speaking at Ploughing 2025 in Screggan, Co Offaly, the TD said that Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon needs to knock down the door to secure tillage funding in the upcoming budget.
"The tillage sector is going through a rough period and it is regrettable at the moment that farmers are left in limbo. If we lose the tillage sector, we're basically importing more grain," Fitzmaurice told the Irish Farmers Journal this week.
Speaking on Thursday, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed that there will be supports for tillage farmers in next month's budget.
The details of these supports, he said, are not yet finalised, but will be
announced closer to budget day on 7 October.
Succession
On generational renewal, Fitzmaurice said that the country should be "well fit" to bring in a succession scheme for farmers.
"The country is in a fair good place with money but we have to make decisions - do we want farmers to continue farming in this country, producing the best food in Europe, if not the world, and do we want to make sure we keep the lights on in rural Ireland?
"We're well fit to send money to other countries, we're well fit to give €6bn to NGOs, so we should be well fit to bring in a scheme for farmers to get a new generation to go farming," he said.
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