Tillage sector can ‘make up for lost time’ and increase area over coming years

Bobby Miller, Irish Grain Growers Group chair speaking at the AGM at the Clanard Court Hotel, Athy, Co Kildare, with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue joining virtually. Picture: Michael Donnelly

While it was “disappointing” that there has been a decline in tillage area over the last number of years, “progress” was made in 2022 and the sector “can make up for lost time” over the course of this decade.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, speaking at the Irish Grain Growers Group AGM event this week, said that the tillage sector is facing into 2023 “with a degree of concern and caution”.

Despite the cost of inputs, farmgate prices last year were “solid”, and provided an opportunity for tillage farmers to “make a decent return”, Mr McConalogue said.

“Inputs are still looking like being under pressure for this year, but question marks do remain over prices, meaning that overall, we are aware of the uncertainty that brings,” he said.

The importance of the tillage sector in reducing Ireland’s dependence on imported feed and in delivering necessary feedstock “has never been more evident” in light of the war in Ukraine, Mr McConalogue also said.

“Of course, it’s naïve to suggest that we can do it all and that we can meet the needs of our entire feed demand - but we can do more and we will do more to grow the area under tillage in the country in the time ahead,” he said.

'Huge role' in climate

The tillage sector will also play a “huge role” in meeting climate ambitions.

“The sector is one of the most carbon efficient in the agri-food sector and is one that can play a huge role over the course of this decade,” Mr McConalogue continued.

The 2023 Climate Action Plan has a target for tillage farming to cover up to 400,000 hectares of the country by 2030.

“We all know that this is a challenge but it is one we, as a Government, want to deliver on,” Mr McConalogue said.

“We started this ambition with the Tillage Incentive Scheme this past year, which saw a 6% to 7% increase in the area under tillage last year.

“It has been disappointing to see that we’ve had a decline of 15% in tillage land in recent years before we count the progress made last year.

“I do believe the tillage sector can make up for lost time over the course of this decade.”

Mr McConalogue said that the tillage sector is one that he will “continue to back into the future given its value and important role in meeting our broader objectives in relation to improving sustainability of our food production system”.

'Never more worried'

Ollie Whyte, a tillage farmer in north Co Dublin, told the Irish Examiner at the AGM event that the past year in tillage was “probably one of the best we ever experienced”.

“Unfortunately the war caused a spike in prices of all the inputs, fertiliser, all that went mad and the flipside of that was the price of grain went the same,” Mr Whyte said.

“But going into a new year, we never were more worried about what’s happening.

“The new Common Agricultural Policy, Climate Action Plan, Farm to Fork, all of these things are going to impact what we’re doing.

“There’s an absolute minefield of rules and regulations with those.”

Mr Whyte added that to ensure a viable future for tillage in Ireland, the sector needs “to get recognition for what we’re doing and the contribution we make to climate action”.

“We’re the only mainstream sector that’s very close to meeting the 2050 carbon neutrality target, and yet we’re not getting recognition,” he said.