Gorman: 'Ongoing agricultural supports needed' in Budget 2026
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, today (Tuesday, July 22) received a stark warning from the president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), Francie Gorman, that "ongoing agricultural supports" are needed in Budget 2026.
During a meeting with the minister today, Francie Gorman underlined the uncertainties currently facing farm families against the backdrop of US tariffs and in relation to proposed measures in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) .
Gorman said: "Our message to Minister Heydon was clear: additional costs and regulation put margins under threat.
“Among the key priorities we emphasised was the need for farmers to secure a fair share of the €3.1 billion Climate and Nature fund, permanent Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) exemptions for active farmers, a continuation of key taxation supports expiring end 2025 and increased Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) funding to avoid use of ranking and selection procedures.”
The IFA president also urged the minister to be a "strong voice" for farmers at the cabinet table when budget discussions are underway.
Among the key issues identified by the farming organisation in its Budget 2026 submission is taxation and funding.
Gorman said that increased supports to offset market uncertainties and inflationary pressures, "together with targeted sectoral interventions" is crucial.
According to the IFA president agriculture, as a backbone of the economy, "needs support to continue its multifaceted and fundamental role".
He said that last year's budget saw a 10.3% increase in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) budget to €2.112 billion "after the agri budget had been reduced by 10.3% in the previous allocation".
"The overall budget for agriculture has to be increased in line with inflationary factorsthat have eroded the real value of the support for the sector," Gorman said looking ahead.
The IFA has highlighted in its Budget 2026 submission that "at an aggregate level, some 135,000 farms produce over €11.2 billion in output".
In its submission the farm organisation also outlines a number of proposed support measures which it believes urgently needs to be addressed in the next budget including:
- Support for the sustainable growth of farm businesses in the face of increasingly volatile geopolitical change;
- Long-term funding commitments to support farm enterprises;
- Ringfenced climate funding independent of the CAP;
- Promotion of competitiveness and natural advantages;
- Measures to support generational renewal.
According to Gorman the grain sector in particular at this time "is in crisis with increased costs of production without an uplift in grain prices".
He said that tillage farmers require direct support - but all farm families "need a degree of certainty and security" to plan for their future.
"Our government and minister for agriculture must fully support Irish farmers and rural Ireland," Gorman added.
