Macra calls for unspent farmer supports to be reinvested into agriculture

Macra has called for the government not to redirect unspent farmer supports but instead invest it back into food production and over subscribed agricultural schemes.

Macra na Feirme has said the government should reinvest farmer supports back into the agricultural sector.

The government has been called on to redirect unspent farmer supports to protect the sector from growing challenges by Macra na Feirme.

The organisation has called on the government to ensure that unspent funding previously committed to supporting farmers through the fuel crisis remains within the Department of Agriculture and is redirected towards the mounting challenges now facing the sector.

Macra said Irish farmers are once again facing exceptional financial pressures, with soaring fertiliser costs and an emerging fodder crisis following a prolonged period of hot, dry weather and increased demand on existing support schemes.

The rural youth organisation warned that these challenges cannot be addressed without adequate financial backing from government.

Macra National President Josephine O'Neill highlighted,

Farmers are under increasing pressure from multiple fronts, with soaring input costs and prolonged dry weather placing enormous strain on farm businesses, yet funding already identified for the sector is sitting unused.

"Government must act quickly by keeping this money within the Department of Agriculture and directing it towards the issues that are having the greatest impact on farm families today. This is about responding to current realities and ensuring farmers have the support they need to continue producing food sustainably."

The organisation welcomed the European Commission’s recently announced fertiliser support package under which Ireland is expected to receive approximately €15.3m. Macra is urging the government to provide the maximum national co-funding permitted under the scheme, increasing the total support package available to almost €46m.

Macra said any fertiliser support must be paid directly to farmers and targeted towards those sectors most exposed to rising input costs and market disruption, ensuring that the funding delivers meaningful assistance where it is needed most.

The organisation also welcomed the Department's commitment to honour all valid applications under the 2026 Straw Incorporation Measure, despite claims exceeding the scheme's original €10m budget with the decision recognising the importance of supporting sustainable farming practices and tillage production but stressed that the additional funding required.

With concerns also mounting over winter fodder supplies following one of the driest summers in recent years, Macra said the government must act now rather than waiting until shortages become critical.

Ms O’Neill: "The warning signs are already there. Many farmers have seen grass growth slow significantly over recent months and winter fodder stocks are under real pressure, with many farmers now forced to feed silage already.

Waiting until shortages emerge will only increase costs and uncertainty. We need to plan ahead and ensure that practical supports are available if challenges continue to escalate.

The organisation said this funding should remain within the Department of Agriculture and be used to co-fund the EU fertiliser support package, bridge the additional funding required for the Straw Incorporation Measure and, if required, establish a targeted fodder support scheme to assist livestock farmers through the winter months.

Macra warned that Irish agriculture continues to face unprecedented uncertainty, with rising input costs, volatile commodity markets, ongoing CAP negotiations and increasing climate-related challenges all placing pressure on farm viability.

Concluding, the organisation called on Government to act quickly to provide certainty to farmers ahead of the autumn planting season and winter housing period.

"Farmers cannot plan on uncertainty. They need certainty, they need support, and they need it now. The resources are available. Government's job is to make sure they reach the farmers who need them before today's pressures become tomorrow's crisis," Ms O’Neill concluded.