Tillage Sector: Statements Dail Éireann — 2025-10-15 ============================================================ George Lawlor (LAB), Wexford As has been outlined in stark detail by many of my colleagues in the Chamber, our country's tillage farmers are in a serious crisis, not least in my home county of Wexford. Farmers who have long been the backbone of our agricultural diversity, our food security and our environmental ambition. Today, they face a crisis that is not of their making but one that demands our urgent attention and decisive action by this Government. Despite favourable weather and strong yields in 2025, the economic reality for tillage farmers is bleak. Grain prices remain depressed. Forward prices this spring were just €212 per tonne for wheat and €200 per tonne for barley. Indeed, looking at Tirlán grain pricing for harvest 2025, feed barley is €192 per tonne and feed wheat at €200 per tonne and malting barley at €222 per tonne. Teagasc forecasts the average income on tillage farms at 43% but this includes mixed farms. Crucially, much of the income Teagasc is predicting is bolstered by livestock enterprises, not just crop production on its own. For many tillage farmers, particularly those on leased land, 2025 has been a year of operating at a great loss. This is not just a financial crisis; it is a structural one. It is a crisis of confidence, of viability and of future prospects. Last month, as has been mentioned, over 1,000 farmers gathered in Naas in County Kildare, united in their message that tillage farming is on the brink. They called for a minimum of €65 million in annual support. The Irish Grain Growers went further, seeking €92 million to stabilise the sector, and yet budget 2026 has delivered just €50 million. That includes €20 million for existing schemes such as straw chopping and the protein payment, and €30 million for a new tillage support scheme. Of course, the details of this scheme remain vague. This response is not proportionate to the scale of the crisis. It is not ambitious enough and it is not urgent enough. We have to recognise that tillage farming is not just an economic activity; it is also a climate solution. Recent studies have shown that imported dairy feeds generate 800 kg more of CO2 per tonne than Irish-grown grain. Every acre of tillage lost to grassland is a step backwards in our climate goals. Every tonne of imported grain is a missed opportunity to support Irish produce. The notion that imported grain is being used to produce our famous Irish whiskey is absolutely nonsensical. The notion we are taking grain from all parts of the world to produce our legendary Irish whiskey beggars belief. This is a moment for leadership to support this sector. It is essential we commit to a multi-annual support package that reflects the strategic importance of tillage farming. We need targeted schemes that reward environmental stewardship and economic sustainability. We also need generational renewal with real incentives for young farmers to enter and remain in the sector. We also have to ensure payments are timely, transparent and sufficient. We cannot expect farmers to plant winter crops with borrowed money while they remain unpaid for the grain they harvested months ago. It is simply not viable or feasible. From the conversations I have been having, every farmer in the tillage sector feels forgotten. Their work, enterprise and industry in that sector matters and we have to see the struggle they are in and let them know their voices are heard in this House. It is essential we do not allow this crisis to become the collapse of one of our national industries. It is essential that we do not just sow crops. We have to just give these people hope for their futures and families' futures, for succession in this industry. It is not just about cultivating land; it is about a vision we have for rural Ireland and the sectors within that. We need to ensure they remain vibrant, sustainable and just. I urge the Minister to look at this sector with the necessary means and to provide the farmers who offer not just tillage but a sustainable answer to many of our climate issues the support, funding, finance and hope they truly and richly deserve. --- 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