Tillage Sector: Statements Dail Éireann — 2025-10-15 ============================================================ Brian Brennan (FG), Wicklow-Wexford The Minister is here and the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, is also here. That is a huge statement. Since being elected, I have attended many debates where Ministers have not turned up. It shows the importance of the issue. We were both in Naas. We saw what went on. They were expecting 250 people but over 1,000 turned up. The people I was speaking to there felt it was the biggest meeting they ever had in Naas. It was a clear statement that the tillage industry is on its knees. The tillage sector needs help. It has got help in the budget but it needs more help. It needs a long-term plan. That is what we really need. I come from a hospitality background but one thing I know is that in business, whether you are in tillage or you are a publican or a hotelier, if you do not make a margin, you are at nothing and you are wasting your time. If your costs are too high and you are not getting your price, you are simply at nothing. The tillage industry is being saturated by cheap imports. We have to tackle that. There are European regulations. We have to accept that but in some way we have to increase the support for the people on the ground. In going around and meeting the tillage farmers, in counties Wicklow and Wexford, I have a huge concern. When I am speaking to the farmer, I am also speaking to their children. I can see a conveyor belt of young farmers leaving our country from the tillage sector if we do not address this issue urgently. Huge work has been done, in fairness to the Minister. He has his figure on the pulse, but it is the long-term strategy I highlight. I have a huge issue with the sale of Irish whiskey when it is not fully Irish. It should be what is on the label. We have to fight stronger to make sure that our farmers are producing the goods for our products. We have good, strong products. We have a worldwide reputation and it is crucial. I am asking for further help and a long-term strategy, otherwise we will be in trouble with the tillage industry. --- 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