Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine statement on the plan to increase the area under tillage farming

In response to John McGuinness' question the Minister states:

The tillage sector is an integral part of Irish farming and makes a significant contribution to overall agricultural output. This Government recognises the importance of the sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead.

The report of the Food Vision Tillage Group, which was set up set out a roadmap for the growth and development of the sector, identifies opportunities to grow the sector and to further improve its environmental footprint. My Department continues to engage with stakeholders to progress the actions in the report through collaboration with all stakeholders.

My Department has provided significant support to tillage farmers in recent years.

The budget for Protein Aid has increased to €10m annually from 2024. Applications for over 66,000 hectares of cereals and oilseed rape straw were submitted for chopping and incorporating in 2025 under the Straw Incorporation measure. I have committed to paying all farmers who have applied under the Scheme. I have made this decision early to give certainty to farmers while also giving them an economic boost.

In February this year, I announced €32.4 million of payments under the Tillage and Horticulture Support Scheme which was Government's response to the difficult position tillage and horticultural farmers found themselves in due to exceptionally poor weather and continued high input costs last Spring. This exceeds the €30 million provided for in the 2025 Budget, but I was anxious that we would be able to make the payment on every hectare of eligible ground.

The tillage sector is also being supported under other schemes including the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme, ACRES, the Organic Farming Scheme and the Water Quality EIP.

I will continue to work with the tillage sector and provide targeted support given the importance of the sector within the wider agricultural industry, and to deliver on the commitment in the Programme for Government to invest significantly in the tillage sector over the next five years.