IFA welcomes €26m tillage fund

Targeted funding of €26m for tillage farmers under the TAMS II programme will help them expand in growing export-focused grain sectors, said IFA president Joe Healy.

He said: “This will support the growth of Ireland’s rapidly expanding dairy, whiskey and gluten-free oats export orientated businesses. More farm-to-farm trade coupled with the use of technology will also allow grain farmers reduce agriculture’s carbon and environmental footprint.”

Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, said the modernisation scheme will fund investment in minimum disturbance tillage equipment, sprayers, rain water harvesting, grain storage and grain dryers.

The Minister said: “I am aware of the issues facing the tillage sector including the 2016 poor harvest. This measure will assist the sector in using the most modern efficient equipment and facilities to improve tillage farmer competitiveness.”

The scheme is funded through the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme. In all, TAMS II will support €395m in farm investments by 2020. The closing date for applications under the first tranche of the new measure is Friday, June 30.

Joe Healy said that Irish growers supply quality grain, oilseeds and proteins for Ireland’s livestock, milling, malting, brewing and distilling industries.

Mr Healy said: “Irish tillage farmers are world class operators but they work in a very challenging environment competing against world prices.Targeted funding will help maintain competitiveness and facilitate the further expansion of arable crop production.”

IFA grain chairman, Liam Dunne, said a vibrant Irish tillage sector can help reduce the country’s carbon emissions through supply of biomass crop residues and providing much needed biodiversity in predominantly grassland areas.

Liam Dunne said: “The commercialisation of existing and new technologies such as torrefaction as well as hydrothermal carbonisation will allow for the incorporation up to 50% biomass in the manufacture of smokeless fuels thus addressing carbon emissions from the residential home heat market.

“The TAMS II provision of targeted funding to the tillage sector should give considerable scope for its expansion when markets turn,” he added. “However, this expansion will depend on increased productivity and profitability through reducing input use and crop establishment costs.”