Miller to stand down as chair of Irish Grain Growers' Group
Bobby Miller is to stand down as chair of the Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG). He will not be seeking re-election at the organisation’s upcoming annual meeting, scheduled to take place on Friday, January 24.
However, the IGGG has indicated that the Co. Laois farmer will continue to play a key role within the organisation.
Miller addressed a north-east meeting of IGGG members in Monasterboice, Co. Louth earlier this week.
Courtesy of his presentation, he highlighted the key contributions made by IGGG across the tillage sector during 2024.
The most significant of these was the pressure brought to bear on government to reverse its decision regarding the operation of the Straw Incorporation Measure(SIM).
This followed the announcement made in July by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to suspend the SIM in light of the perceived demand for straw as a fodder source by livestock farmers.
Miller commented: “IGGG made a significant contribution in getting the minister’s decision revered.
"But not only that, we were instrumental in getting a commitment from government, ensuring the SIM would be retained in full during the period of the current Common Agricultural Policy."
The outgoing IGGG chair characterised the last two years as 24 months of intense stress for tillage farmers and their families.
He noted the €100/ha aid payment commitment made by government in Budget 2025 and the election made by the two incoming government parties to deliver an additional €300 million of support to the tillage sector over the next five years.
“These promises must be delivered on over the next five years. IGGG also interacted with the co-ops during the 2024 to secure a discernible premium for Irish grain.
“The principle was a very simple one. If the co-ops were willing to step in earlier in the year to support their dairy producers, then the same the same principle should be adopted when it came to dealing with equally stressed tillage farmers at the end of a second horrendous growing season in succession," he stressed.
The IGGG representative also highlighted the low carbon footprint of Ireland’s tillage sector, adding:
“Initial research has confirmed these claims, but this must be further built on during the period ahead.
“It is for this reason that I particularly welcome the commitment made by Teagasc to push ahead with two key research projects designed to fully examine the carbon balance within Irish tillage farming.
“Independent corroboration of the low carbon footprint already achieved by Irish tillage farmers is critically important as the sector seeks to maximise the returns that can be secured form the marketplace into the future.
