Tillage Sector: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-15
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Natasha Newsome Drennan (SF), Carlow-Kilkenny

Just recently, the IFA and the Irish Grain Growers, among others, were invited in to the agriculture committee to tell us what we already knew, namely, that the tillage industry is on its knees. We heard of the struggles facing the tillage sector. I listened to the Minister’s own colleagues call out for support for farmers struggling in every sense of the word. Members from all sides of the House were united and spoke clearly about the need for this Government to support these farmers and recognise the vital contribution they make. Once again, however, those words have rung hollow.
Just last night, questions were put to the Minister’s Department about the tillage sector regarding what new measures would be introduced for 2026 to support tillage farmers. The reply stated, "I fully recognise the pressures facing the tillage sector, not least the very challenging market outlook and downward price pressure this season, and I have recently engaged directly with the farming organisations to hear their concerns." Wait for this. The Minister continued, "This Government recognises the importance of the tillage sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops". If he does not get his head out of the sand, there will not be any tillage farmers left to grow those crops. For decades, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have failed to provide the funding and supports our tillage farmers needed to thrive. Budget 2026 is just the latest chapter in this long story of neglect. The numbers speak for themselves. The area of land under tillage has collapsed by over 40% in the past 40 years. We have fallen well short of the Government’s own 2025 targets, with only 344,000 ha this year, thus making the 2030 goal of 400,000 ha highly unlikely.
This is not an accident. It is a direct result of a Government policy that has actively favoured one sector over another, pushing tillage farmers to the brink. We are losing one tillage farm every week. Tillage is a vital sector not only for our food security but also for our economy. It is estimated to be valued at €1.9 billion and to account for 11,000 jobs. We are only 36% self-sufficient in animal feed. We import the majority of our flour and are forcing our world-renowned drinks industry to source more grain from abroad each year.
In face of this crisis, the Minister’s announcement of €50 million is nothing more than spin. He claims to be developing a new scheme but the cold reality is that he has not provided a single extra euro for the struggling farmers. It is the same funding as last year repackaged and re-announced. It falls pathetically short of the €92 million package the sector itself has said it needs to survive and thrive. With grain prices on the floor and input costs soaring, that lack of ambition will be the final blow that will force more hard-working farming families to simply call it a day. Sinn Féin recognises the immense value of tillage farming. It is a sector with a much lower carbon footprint that is a driver of biodiversity and is central to our climate action goals.
Investing in tillage is not just supporting farmers. It is investing in a sustainable, secure future for Irish agriculture. We stand fully with tillage farmers. We would provide the sustainable, multi-annual funding required to stabilise and grow the sector. At a time when farmers are grappling with what is around the corner, including a reduced CAP budget, the Mercosur trade deal and the uncertainty of derogation, this budget was a chance to secure our food security and protect rural jobs and communities.
This budget was a chance to secure our food security and to protect rural jobs and communities.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-10-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:13+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-15