The tillage sector has received a €30m fund in Budget 2025. Simply referred to as "a new tillage scheme" in the speech made by Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, the money is largely in line with the commitment made by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue at the
Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in April, but a number of questions remain to be answered.
The tillage sector has received a €30m fund in Budget 2025.
Simply referred to as "a new tillage scheme" in the speech made by Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, the money is largely in line with the commitment made by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in April, but a number of questions remain to be answered.
Firstly, Minister McConalogue's commitment was for a €100/ha payment for all crops planted in 2024, excluding protein crops, which already receive a significant per-hectare payment.
This announcement came in the middle of a late and difficult spring and may have dissuaded farmers from leaving land fallow.
But will this money be paid out on 2024 crops now mostly harvested or will it be for crops being planted this autumn and next spring for the 2025 season?
Cashflow
If it is for 2024 crops, the €30m payment will go a long way toward the €100/ha payment. When protein crops are excluded, about 321,000ha of land was planted this year, equating to about €93/ha.
Secondly, if the money is for 2024, when will it be paid out?
With a mediocre 2024 harvest following on from a disastrous 2023 one, money and cashflow are extremely tight among tillage farmers.
A prompt payment at the earliest opportunity would help hugely.
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