Tillage Sector: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-15
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Robert O'Donoghue (LAB), Dublin Fingal West

The budget that was announced two weeks ago has revealed what this Government really thinks about Irish agriculture. Despite the pre-election promises, farming received barely a minute's mention across the two ministerial budget day speeches on 7 October. Within that silence, the story of the Irish tillage sector stands out as truly symbolic, a measure of neglect and a reflection of how disconnected Government policy has become from the reality on the ground.
Despite the huge effort made by farming organisations, the Irish Farmers Association, the Irish Grain Growers, Tillage Industry Ireland, Teagasc and many others to get Irish crop production back on track, the response from the Government so far has been painfully inadequate. Only a few weeks ago, over 1,000 people gathered in Naas for the tillage crisis meeting. That event was not just another farm meeting; it was a cry for help. Farmers came from every corner of the country to say clearly that Irish tillage is in crisis. To his credit, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, attended that meeting. He heard directly from farmers about the fault lines that threaten the future of Irish tillage. They have been told that a support package is on the way. Why the delay? Why, with the autumn planting season already well under way, do farmers still have no clarity about the scale, scope or duration of this promised support? Will it be yet another one-year stopgap, or will it be a strategic, multiannual plan over the term of this Government that gives tillage a viable future? We must give confidence to the farmers who work in tillage and want to stay working in it.
Right now, growers are sowing winter crops and paying for expensive seed, sprays, fertiliser, fuel and machinery. They are making major commercial commitments, even as many are still waiting to be paid for grain harvested weeks ago. It all adds up to rising debt and pressure at a time when many tillage farmers are already on their knees. Cash-flow is tight. Credit is stretched. Goodwill from banks and suppliers has limits. As every businessperson knows, you need money to stay viable and right now, large numbers of tillage farmers are being starved of it.
It is not enough for the Government to promise support. It must ensure that funds reach farmers' bank accounts quickly. Every week of delay adds to the financial strain and the risk that good tillage land will be lost, perhaps permanently, to other uses.
Now, thankfully, the weather has turned in farmers' favour. Ground conditions are good and planting has resumed strongly. Make no mistake, however, that had the rain continued after Storm Amy, many would have been making very hard choices. We are one bad season away from collapse in large parts of the tillage sector. Farm organisations want clarity on the details of this so-called new tillage support package, which, we are told, was confirmed in budget 2026. Let us be honest that farmers across the country are looking at this announcement with disappointment and frustration.
There is growing speculation that the Government will offer a multiannual support package for the tillage sector. However, all the indications suggest this will be a targeted scheme, limited to certain crops, and far too narrow in scope to deliver the support our grain growers urgently need. The reality is that the budget 2026 announcement fell well short of what the Irish Grain Growers, and indeed the entire tillage community, have been calling for. The Irish Grain Growers has said clearly that this Government does not fully appreciate the consequences of failing to properly support tillage, whether through direct programmes or through fair taxation measures. It is right.
As a result of this Government's short-sighted approach, the tillage area is likely to shrink in the coming years. When tillage land is lost, we do not just lose crops; we lose biodiversity, increase greenhouse gas emissions per acre and drive up our reliance on imported, genetically modified foodstuffs.
That is the bitter irony here. Every acre of tillage lost means more imported feed, more pressure on water quality and more risk of carbon fines for the State. The consequences are environmental, economic and strategic. Investing in Irish tillage makes sense for our climate targets, for our food security and for rural livelihoods, but once again, this Government has failed to recognise that. The IFA estimates that the budget’s allocation for grain producers falls well short of the €65 million the sector needs to remain viable. This is yet another example of a Government out of touch with rural Ireland, a Government that talks about sustainability but fails to sustain the very people producing our food. It is time to stop with the half-measures and short-term schemes. It is time for a real, long-term commitment to the tillage sector - one that matches the ambition and resilience of Irish farmers themselves.
The sector’s representative organisations asked for €65 million in targeted support, not as a handout but as an investment in Irish food production, in sustainability and in our food security, but even this amount is only a sticking plaster. We need Government policy and a strong commitment from the Minister.
Teagasc has already warned that tillage incomes will decline again in 2026 driven by poor global prices, high input costs and reduced CAP support. Fertiliser costs, in particular, remain a major concern. Deputy Ó Murchú referenced the Joint Committee on EU Affairs meeting which I also attended. In terms of cohesion funding and farmers, nobody wants to be rolled into the same pot. We can all agree with that. That will be from 2027 onwards and will be another concern for tillage farmers.
The Minister has promised to do his best and recognises pressure on farm incomes but would not commit to that €65 million but farmers cannot pay bills with promises. Farmers want action and certainty. They want respect for the commitments already made in the programme for Government - commitments to grow the tillage sector, to strengthen our domestic grain sector and to build genuine food security.
We have already seen what happens when Government walks away from a key agricultural industry. We cannot allow tillage to go the same way because tillage is not a fringe activity; it is a cornerstone of Irish agriculture. Those farmers, in turn, deserve support to keep those supply chains alive. When tillage was in a better position last year, the Government stepped in with a support package. Now, when the situation is worse, the response must be stronger. The programme for Government commitments were not conditional; they were clear, and now they must be honoured in full.
Tillage farmers are not looking for handouts. They are looking for fairness. They are looking for recognition of the essential role they play in the Irish food and drink production industries and in the rural economy. Without urgent action, that role, and that expertise, will disappear and when it does, Ireland will have lost more than a sector. We will have lost a vital part of our national identity and our food sovereignty.
I am calling on the Ministers and the Government to act before another generation of tillage farmers says enough is enough. They need clarity on the supports they will get and I urge the Minister to give that clarity as soon as possible.

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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