The farm organisation had called for €65m in annual funding over a five-year period that it said is necessary to ensure the sector remains secure in the future.
This week’s budget announcement for tillage farmers is a help for a sector in crisis but ultimately falls, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
The farm organisation had called for €65m in annual funding over a five-year period that it said is necessary to ensure the sector remains secure in the future.
IFA grain committee chair Kieran McEvoy said the IFA has worked hard to highlight the economic challenges tillage is facing and made the sector a priority for securing funding in Budget 2026.
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“[The] IFA organised a crisis meeting in Naas last month, which 1,000 farmers attended.
“This underlined the genuine concerns tillage farmers have about the future viability of the sector.
“When existing schemes such as Protein Aid and the Straw Incorporation Measure are removed, this would indicate that the Minister has €30m at his disposal for a Tillage Support Payment, which is similar to previous supports announced by the former Minister Charlie McConalogue in April 2024.
The grain chair said this is less than the €60m annual funding proposed in the election manifestos of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“[The]] IFA will be front and centre as part of any stakeholder consultation for the tillage support scheme and will insist it is targeted and workable for farmers in this vulnerable sector,” he added.
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Title: Tillage funding a help, but falls short – IFA
The farm organisation had called for €65m in annual funding over a five-year period that it said is necessary to ensure the sector remains secure in the future.
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This week’s budget announcement for tillage farmers is a help for a sector in crisis but ultimately falls, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
The farm organisation had called for €65m in annual funding over a five-year period that it said is necessary to ensure the sector remains secure in the future.
IFA grain committee chair Kieran McEvoy said the IFA has worked hard to highlight the economic challenges tillage is facing and made the sector a priority for securing funding in Budget 2026.
“[The] IFA organised a crisis meeting in Naas last month, which 1,000 farmers attended.
“This underlined the genuine concerns tillage farmers have about the future viability of the sector.
“When existing schemes such as Protein Aid and the Straw Incorporation Measure are removed, this would indicate that the Minister has €30m at his disposal for a Tillage Support Payment, which is similar to previous supports announced by the former Minister Charlie McConalogue in April 2024.
The grain chair said this is less than the €60m annual funding proposed in the election manifestos of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“[The]] IFA will be front and centre as part of any stakeholder consultation for the tillage support scheme and will insist it is targeted and workable for farmers in this vulnerable sector,” he added.
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