A new tillage scheme worth €30m has been announced by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon.

The National Tillage Sustainability Support Scheme will provide for a degressive rate of payment to applicants who declared cereal and oilseed rape crops on their 2025 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and other area-based applications.

Launching the scheme, the Minister said that tillage farming plays an important role in the sustainability of the agri-food sector as a whole and is recognised as one of the most carbon-efficient sectors in Irish agriculture.

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"However, I wish to acknowledge the significant challenges faced by the sector in recent years. Following two particularly difficult years in 2023 and 2024 - and more recently a challenging market situation with downward price pressure internationally.

"This, along with high costs of production, have placed considerable strain on growers’ margins," he said.

Underpin

This funding, he added, was secured to help underpin the sector and boost confidence by providing farmers with the necessary financial supports to assist them in the season ahead.

"The tillage sector is extremely important to this Government and it is a sector we want to see grow in the years ahead.

"This scheme demonstrates the Government’s commitment to supporting the sector and advances the commitment set out in the Programme for Government, as well as a key recommendation in the Food Vision tillage group report regarding the importance of delivering significant supports for the tillage sector," Minister Heydon added.