When the next election comes around in 2029 - or before that time - there might be a package for tillage farmers in trouble; votes will be needed, but by then it will be too late. More land will have left the sector.

Tillage is the farming sector in the most financial trouble this year.

In general, livestock farmers are doing well, prices are good, but they too have plenty of challenges to deal with.

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TB being a big one.

Before the election in November 2024, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil said in their manifestos that they would provide €60m per year for five years to the tillage sector.

Despite both getting into Government and agreeing on the figure, it has been halved to €30m.

€30m is still a lot of money and money from Government won’t solve the problems of the tillage sector, but it can help farmers through a difficult patch.

Grain prices

Grain prices have dropped in 2025 again and farmers are in a difficult time, a time that requires support.

The tillage sector was the only one crying out for support to protect incomes ahead of this year’s budget.

Over 700 frustrated farmers attended a meeting in Naas in September where Minister Martin Heydon answered questions and heard farmers' views. He heard of farmers leaving the sector, of the struggles people face. He would not commit to money that night.

He said he will be judged on 7 October, budget day.

Tillage farmers were majorly disappointed after the budget. When other sectors were in trouble they saw beef payments, silage payments, transport payments, organic payments.

We have become totally dependent on imported flour, we have only 60 field vegetable growers and we have just 8,000ha of potatoes and we import around six million tonnes of grain and feed.

But when the malting barley market collapsed this year, the Government ignored it.

Tariffs directly impacted malting barley price and whiskey demand. Yet, no funding was supplied to anyone. Distilleries closed down one by one and did not receive any help.

Yet, Government went back on the agreed funding from their manifestos. The budget is now over and the books have been balanced; there is no more money for tillage for this year.

Tillage area falling

The Department of Agriculture and the minister will tell you the tillage area is stable.

It only decreased by less than 1% in 2025, but tillage area has declined by 40% in 40 years. That’s 1% per year. Everything adds up. So, in 2025, it has fallen by almost the same average as the previous 40 years, in which time we have become totally dependent on imported flour, we have only 60 field vegetable growers and we have just 8,000ha of potatoes and we import around six million tonnes of grain and feed.

Tillage farmers were insulted last Tuesday when their sector was not mentioned in the ministers’ budget speeches.

They were dejected when the same funding came this year as last year, despite the sector being in bigger financial trouble.

Many feel so much time has been wasted. Even last week, the IFA, the IGGG and Tillage Industry Ireland attended the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and to no avail, no extra money, despite empathy from the TDs and senators in attendance.

The Food Vision Tillage Group spent a year compiling a report to help the sector, but no real action has been taken on that report - over a year after its publication.

It is now like the 2017 report on the future of the tillage sector - gathering dust.

While work is being done in the background on that, nothing is being done that people can see, no Government decisions are visible that are impacting the sector.

Why are farmers still planting?

Many will ask why are farmers planting now, if things are so bad financially? This is their job. To make the most money next year and to spread workload they need high-yielding winter crops to maximise return. They have land leases. They will likely plant fewer spring crops. Some farmers have been telling me they have planted more grass this autumn into tillage land.

Thankfully, the weather has provided positivity in the aftermath of the budget and farmers are able to plant those crops in good conditions. However, we know that without support, like promoting the use of Irish grain in food, drinks and animal feed, tillage area will be lost.

It now looks like the Government has given up on the target to increase tillage area.

It is not pushing for the use of Irish grain by livestock farmers, for the use of Irish grain by drinks producers. Yet, it will continue to place regulations on tillage. Two- and three-crop rules, resulting in land being reseeded to grass.

The Department’s prime focus at present looks to be to save the nitrates derogation and it will try and force more rules on tillage to do this. More rules on the sector that is losing land every day to farmers trying to stay in derogation.

Those new nitrates proposals were unacceptable to most tillage farmers before the budget, but they’re definitely unacceptable now. Another cost and another kick.