Why are tillage farmers going to protest at the Dáil?

Why are tillage growers protesting at the Dáil?

The 2016 grain harvest was a disaster for many grain growers who farm west of a line from Cork city to Donegal. This is why the IFA is planning a protest this Wednesday.

Farmers lost 25% to 50% of their total grain harvest and some fields were a complete write-off.

The farmers also lost up to 50% of their straw. This, in turn, has driven prices higher than usual.

In all, some 245 farmers lost more than 21,000t of grain and the equivalent of 82,500 round bales of straw.

How much money did farmers lose?

According to an IFA survey of growers, tillage farmers lost more than €4.1m. Their total loss on grain amounted to €3.032m, while they also lost €1.073m on straw.

What does the IFA want the Government to do?

The farming organisation is calling for an aid package to be put in place to help these growers pay bills that they are not able to clear. These include debts owed to co-ops, agri-merchants, machinery dealers and fuel suppliers.

Why was the harvest such a disaster?

Incessant rain, humidity and lingering sea mist caused massive problems at harvest time. Met Éireann recorded more than 25 rainy days and 20 high-humidity days in September. This made it impossible to harvest many crops and those that could be harvested were cut at very high moisture content.

What farmers were worst affected?

Growers were worst affected in counties Clare, Galway, Cork, Donegal, Kerry, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon and Tipperary.

Compensation

Both the IFA and Fianna Fáil have been calling for a fund to be put in place to compensate farmers who have lost crops and, as a result, income.

The case was first brought to Europe, but EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has explicitly ruled out the possibility of an EU crisis fund.

Farmer representatives have been looking for a pot of money with farmers able to draw down as much as €15,000 to cover their losses and allow them to be ready for the 2017 season.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has, up to now, rejected calls for a dedicated tillage crisis fund.

Fianna Fáil’s agriculture spokesman Charlie McConalogue has highlighted an €86m underspend in the 2016 agriculture budget which he says could be used for tillage farmers.

The Irish Farmers Journal spoke to growers about their plans for 2017 in light of the disastrous harvest of last year.