Budget Falls Short on Supports for Farmers to Deliver on Climate & Nature Targets – IFA

IFA Environment Chair John Murphy said Budget 2027 contains some important measures for farmers, but falls short on the investment needed to support farmers in delivering Ireland’s climate, water and nature targets.

“This has been a difficult year on farms, with continued pressure from input costs, weather and farm incomes. The extension of fuel supports, with an additional €31.2m to cover the five months from August to December 2026, and the €46.1m package to offset higher fertiliser and energy costs are important measures in supporting farm viability,” said Mr. Murphy.

“These need to be paid out to farmers as quickly as possible. Farmers are under significant financial pressure, and getting these supports into farm businesses without delay will provide some much-needed relief.”

He said the additional €21.6m for European Innovation Partnerships, including Farming for Water, will support farmers taking practical, targeted actions to improve water quality.

“It is important that farmers who have already undertaken measures under Farming for Water EIP receive payment as quickly as possible. Timely payment is essential to maintain confidence in the programme and encourage continued participation.”

The increase in the TAMS allocation to €93.35m will also provide greater capacity for essential on-farm investment, including additional nutrient storage.

“Additional nutrient storage is essential strategic infrastructure for both farm businesses and water quality. The changes to TAMS ranking and selection have improved access, but we need a standalone nutrient storage scheme, with sufficient funding to ensure every farmer who needs additional capacity can access support.”

Mr. Murphy said there is a significant gap in funding to support farmers to deliver on nature and climate objectives. Farmers are already delivering through ACRES, Farming for Water and other EIPs. If Government wants farmers to do more, the necessary investment must be put in place.

“The €6m increase for the National Parks and Wildlife Service is not sufficient to match the scale of the nature restoration ambition, particularly when the investment required to implement the EU Nature Restoration Regulation has been estimated at up to €700 million annually”.

“Farmers are committed to improving the environmental performance of Irish agriculture however he stressed that environmental ambition must be matched by investment. They cannot be expected to deliver more for climate, water and nature without the financial and practical supports to make those changes on their farms,” he concluded.