Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said that Irish farmers should be purchasing Irish straw.

His comment comes following a statement from Teagasc last week that Irish dairy farmers were willing to pay more for similar quality Spanish straw.

The minister told the Irish Farmers Journal that: “Irish straw is of excellent quality most particularly in 2025 given the excellent harvest conditions.” He encouraged farmers from across all sectors of Irish farming to “facilitate a fair and functioning national market for home-grown straw”.

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Irish tillage farmers are in the middle of a major income crisis, acknowledged by the minister in his announcement of a support package of €30m for the sector in Budget 2026.