The IFA has called for specific tillage supports under Pillar II of the new CAP.

Ahead of the closing date for the CAP consultation, IFA grain chair Mark Browne said: “The tillage sector will be severely affected by convergence, front-loading and flat-rate eco-scheme payments under the current 2023-2027 CAP proposals.

“The Irish tillage area declined by nearly 20% under the last CAP cycle. We would call on the Minster for Agriculture to introduce well-funded Pillar II schemes specifically for the tillage sector to ensure the industry remains viable in the future,” Browne said.

In its proposals, the IFA stated: “There must be a specific scheme in Pillar II for tillage.

Lost income

“A tillage-only version of the GLAS scheme with a higher annual payment is one possible measure that could offset the income lost from Pillar I.”

The IFA also proposed that funding for the Straw Incorporation Measure be increased from €10m to €12.5m; that there be a doubling of the Protein Aid Scheme funding; and separate ringfenced funding for a combi-crop scheme.

Exemption

The IFA called for an exemption from GAEC 8, which calls for crop rotation in arable land each year, adding that the current crop diversification requirements have introduced ample crop rotation measures to Irish tillage farms.

It described the implementation of the full requirements of the measure as “grossly unfair” in an Irish context.