Imperative that Straw Incorporation Scheme Covers All Applicants in Full

IFA National Grain Chair John Murphy said it’s imperative that Minister Martin Heydon secures the extra funding needed to meet the demand for the Straw Incorporation Scheme.

“I acknowledge the announcement that all applicants have been accepted. We made the point to the Minister at our meeting three weeks ago that it must be at the rate that applied in the past. We cannot have any reduction as this would be a blow to tillage growers who are under immense pressure. Winter crops have been harvested and the main harvest is likely to get underway ahead of schedule. Growers need certainty that funding will be there to meet the demand in full.”

“SIM has and continues to be a hugely successful agri-environment scheme which incentivises farmers for returning organic matter back into the soil. It also interacts with the wider straw market; it plays a role in maintaining the straw supply & demand balance; and it provides support for tillage farmers,” he said.

“SIM has been oversubscribed every year since 2023, so the area applied for in 2026 didn’t come as a huge shock. Minister Heydon found additional funding in 2025 to pay all applicants and he needs to find it again,” John Murphy said.

“In response to a parliamentary question in May, Taoiseach Micheál Martin accepted that the Government needs to do more to support the tillage sector,” he said.

“Given the extremely low margins in tillage and the importance of SIM to tillage incomes, it’s vital that the Minister secures the additional funds needed for the scheme in 2026,” the Chair concluded.