Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) presidential candidate Francie Gorman has described the new aid package for the tillage sector as “grossly inadequate” for farmers.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State for land use and biodiversity with special responsibility for horticulture, Pippa Hackett, yesterday (Tuesday, October 3) announced the distribution of €9.53 million under the EU Agricultural Reserve.
The funding support package will deliver a flat-rate payment of €28/ha or just over €11/ac.
Gorman said that the government has demonstrated a “blatant disregard” for the future of Ireland’s tillage sector, adding that there was a lack of discussion with farming organisations for the package.
“Excluding land rental charges that many tillage farmers must pay, it costs approximately €1,300/ha or €540/ac to grow a crop of corn,” Gorman said.
“Many farmers across the country have lost their entire crop this year due to incessant poor weather conditions and under this scheme, they will only be able to recoup a maximum of €28/ha,” Gorman added.
Tillage sector
The Irish tillage sector contributes more than €1.5 billion annually to Irish economic output and generates 11,000 full-time jobs, according to Gorman.
He said that with bad weather this year, excessive input costs brought to bear by the war in Ukraine, high land rents and declining Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, the aid package “risks” driving farmers “out of business”.
“We are a country that produces enough food to feed approximately 40 million people every year, yet a once-in-a-generation disaster year for tillage farmers is responded to with an ineffective aid package.
“The announcement of the details of this aid package is being met with disbelief by the farming community which rightly feels let down yet again by this government,” he said.