Tillage Funding a Help, But Falls Short of Political Commitments

IFA Grain Committee Chair Kieran McEvoy said the Budget announcement of €50m for tillage growers is a help for a sector in crisis but ultimately falls short of the €65m annual funding over a five-year period that IFA believes is necessary to ensure the sector remains secure into the future.

“IFA has worked hard to highlight the economic challenges that tillage is facing and made the sector a priority for securing funding in Budget 2026. IFA organised a crisis meeting in Naas last month, at which 1,000 farmers attended.  This underlined the genuine concerns tillage farmers have about the future viability of the sector,” Kieran McEvoy continued.

“When existing schemes such as Protein Aid and the Straw Incorporation Measure are removed, this would indicate that the Minister has €30m at his disposal for a Tillage Support Payment, which is similar to previous supports announced by the former Minister Charlie McConalogue in April 2024. This, it must be noted, is less than the €60m annual funding proposed in the election manifestos of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael,” Kieran McEvoy said.

“IFA will be front and centre as part of any stakeholder consultation for the tillage support scheme and will insist it is targeted and workable for farmers in this vulnerable sector,” he concluded.