Speaking on the second day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, Minister Creed said the forum has been established to help protect the “vibrant” tillage sector.

“I consider that a vibrant and viable tillage sector is essential to Irish agriculture. It provides a high-quality, traceable source of native feedstuffs for the livestock sector, as well as high-quality assured grain to meet the demands of a rapidly growing brewing and distilling industry,” Creed said.

Last week, the IFA called for the establishment of the tillage forum as weather woes have severely hampered this year’s harvest. Tillage farmers here are now in their fourth loss-making year as global supplies continue to be strong and domestic prices remain under pressure.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, IFA grain committee chair Liam Dunne welcomed the minister’s move.

“Naturally I welcome Minister Creed’s decision to establish the forum. It’s something the IFA had been calling for. The forum needs to hear that farmers are under enormous pressure,” Dunne said.

Aid package

Dunne said that as well as the establishment of the forum, the minister needs to obtain financial support for farmers struggling to conclude this year’s harvest.

“The minister needs to do something for the tillage farmers all along the western seaboard. Ideally that would take the shape of an aid package which would be totally separate to anything he has planned at the tillage forum. Farmers in the west and northwest are in dire straits this summer,” Dunne said.

The first meeting of the tillage roundtable will take place on Thursday 6 October. It is not yet clear who will attend the meeting.

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