The Irish Farmers' Asssociation's (IFA) national council approved the farm body’s pre-budget submission for Budget 2024 on Thursday.
It is looking for a wide range of supports across all farming sectors and looking for changes to key farm schemes.
IFA president Tim Cullinan. \ Finbarr O’Rourke
Beef
Under the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the IFA has said that all farmers must be paid in full on all of their eligible actions.
With around 500,000 cows applied for, the IFA has said that €18m must be found to pay all farmers in the scheme. It also called for genotyping costs in the scheme to be reduced.
The IFA has called for a payment of €300 per suckler cow for farmers in both SCEP and BEEP-S. To reach this, it called for another €70m in funding.
Suckler farmers need a payment of €300/cow, said the IFA. \ Claire Nash
It is also seeking for young bull finishers to be supported and for a native grain use incentive scheme to support livestock farmers who prioritise the use of quality assured grain.
The IFA is also looking for the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) to “be utilised to directly support suckler and beef farmers to safeguard their farm income situation from the potential impacts of Brexit, which looms over the sector”.
The IFA has demanded direct aid or compensation to be paid to farmers who lost revenue. It said that millions of euro were lost by farmers due to weakened sterling and depressed prices as a result of Brexit.
Sheep
The IFA is looking for an increase from €12 to €30/ewe under the Sheep Improvement Scheme in the budget and for shearing costs to be “directly supported” through an €8/ewe fund to incentivise farmers to ensure wool is presented in the optimum condition.
It has proposed that sheep farmers be paid €10/ewe to plunge-dip sheep for sheep scab, recognising the cost and labour requirement of the action to address the growing problem of sheep scab in the national flock.
Sheep farmers need a payment of €30/ewe, said the IFA. \ Claire Nash
It is also seeking a direct payment for farmers finishing store lambs to offset production costs and ensure that store lamb sellers are protected from the volatility of the market.
Tillage
The IFA has said that the tillage area is likely to “decrease significantly” in 2023 as a result of changes to the nitrates derogation. As a result, it has called for the Tillage Incentive Scheme to remain in place until 2026 to avoid the national tillage area declining.
It has called for an annual payment of €200/ha for 2024, 2025 and 2026. It has called for the scheme to be reopened to new entrants next year.
The IFA is seeking supports for tillage farmers. \ Donal O' Leary
The IFA is seeking a €2.5m annual top-up from the national exchequer for the Straw Incorporation Measure for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
It maintains that a total funding allowance of €12.5m will enable at least 50,000ha of straw to be chopped and incorporated back into the soil. It said the fund must be “targeted at specialist tillage farmers”.
It has also called for a €5m fund to enable the construction of slurry or manure storage infrastructure exclusively on tillage farms. Grant aid can be provided at up to 40% of the value of the facility or to a maximum of €50,000 per applicant, it said.
The IFA has also called for funding for young tillage farmers under 40 to upskill in agronomy and integrated pest management courses.
Loans and pensions
The farm body is also seeking a State-backed guaranteed low-interest loan scheme for all primary producers. It would cater for refinancing and working capital loans of up to €1.5m and provide unsecured lending of up to €500,000.
The IFA has also called for the Government’s auto-enrolment pension scheme to be extended to include farmers and the self-employed. With every €3 saved by a farmer, a further €4 will be credited to their pension savings account by the Government, it said.
Dairy
The Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme must be continued in 2024, it said, and called for a €100/head payment to farmers for the rearing of calves.
Dairy farmers should be eligible for the Fodder Support Scheme, said the IFA. \ Claire Nash
The IFA has proposed that dairy farmers should be considered eligible for the Fodder Support Scheme in the future.
Farm schemes
The IFA is calling for the maximum ACRES payment of €10,500 to be made available to all farmers in both the ACRES general and co-operation options. It has also called for all farmers under tranche two to be accommodated in the scheme.
Under the areas of natural constraint (ANC) scheme, it is seeking for an increase in the overall budget of €50m to bring it to €300m for 2023.
It has also called for a full review of the “internal operating dynamic surrounding designations” and for a review of compensation for farmers with designated land.
It also wants a standalone TAMS grant for slurry storage and for a total budget of €90m in total for TAMS in 2024.
Tax reliefs
The IFA has called for the stamp duty charge of 7.5% to be slashed to 1% for land transfers of up to €1m, rising to 2% thereafter.
It is also seeking that young trained farmer stamp duty relief should be fully removed from state aid or the ceiling be increased to €150,000 to allow for greater land mobility, encourage land transfer and develop economically viable farm units and for consanguinity relief to be retained in its current form.
The IFA’s national council has agreed a list of proposals it will put forward for farmers ahead of October's budget. \ Philip Doyle
An agricultural rainy-day fund should also be introduced, it said. This would allow all farmers to put aside a small percentage of their gross receipts, whether in their co-op, specially assigned bank account or State farm volatility fund, which could be used by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).
“The deferred funds could subsequently be draw down within the next five years and the tax due would be paid on the year of withdrawal; similar to how companies are allowed to offset their losses to protect the viability of the business by carrying it forward from a loss-making year to a profit-making year,” it said.
The Irish Farmers' Asssociation's (IFA) national council approved the farm body’s pre-budget submission for Budget 2024 on Thursday.
It is looking for a wide range of supports across all farming sectors and looking for changes to key farm schemes.
IFA president Tim Cullinan. \ Finbarr O’Rourke
Beef
Under the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the IFA has said that all farmers must be paid in full on all of their eligible actions.
With around 500,000 cows applied for, the IFA has said that €18m must be found to pay all farmers in the scheme. It also called for genotyping costs in the scheme to be reduced.
The IFA has called for a payment of €300 per suckler cow for farmers in both SCEP and BEEP-S. To reach this, it called for another €70m in funding.
Suckler farmers need a payment of €300/cow, said the IFA. \ Claire Nash
It is also seeking for young bull finishers to be supported and for a native grain use incentive scheme to support livestock farmers who prioritise the use of quality assured grain.
The IFA is also looking for the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) to “be utilised to directly support suckler and beef farmers to safeguard their farm income situation from the potential impacts of Brexit, which looms over the sector”.
The IFA has demanded direct aid or compensation to be paid to farmers who lost revenue. It said that millions of euro were lost by farmers due to weakened sterling and depressed prices as a result of Brexit.
Sheep
The IFA is looking for an increase from €12 to €30/ewe under the Sheep Improvement Scheme in the budget and for shearing costs to be “directly supported” through an €8/ewe fund to incentivise farmers to ensure wool is presented in the optimum condition.
It has proposed that sheep farmers be paid €10/ewe to plunge-dip sheep for sheep scab, recognising the cost and labour requirement of the action to address the growing problem of sheep scab in the national flock.
Sheep farmers need a payment of €30/ewe, said the IFA. \ Claire Nash
It is also seeking a direct payment for farmers finishing store lambs to offset production costs and ensure that store lamb sellers are protected from the volatility of the market.
Tillage
The IFA has said that the tillage area is likely to “decrease significantly” in 2023 as a result of changes to the nitrates derogation. As a result, it has called for the Tillage Incentive Scheme to remain in place until 2026 to avoid the national tillage area declining.
It has called for an annual payment of €200/ha for 2024, 2025 and 2026. It has called for the scheme to be reopened to new entrants next year.
The IFA is seeking supports for tillage farmers. \ Donal O' Leary
The IFA is seeking a €2.5m annual top-up from the national exchequer for the Straw Incorporation Measure for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
It maintains that a total funding allowance of €12.5m will enable at least 50,000ha of straw to be chopped and incorporated back into the soil. It said the fund must be “targeted at specialist tillage farmers”.
It has also called for a €5m fund to enable the construction of slurry or manure storage infrastructure exclusively on tillage farms. Grant aid can be provided at up to 40% of the value of the facility or to a maximum of €50,000 per applicant, it said.
The IFA has also called for funding for young tillage farmers under 40 to upskill in agronomy and integrated pest management courses.
Loans and pensions
The farm body is also seeking a State-backed guaranteed low-interest loan scheme for all primary producers. It would cater for refinancing and working capital loans of up to €1.5m and provide unsecured lending of up to €500,000.
The IFA has also called for the Government’s auto-enrolment pension scheme to be extended to include farmers and the self-employed. With every €3 saved by a farmer, a further €4 will be credited to their pension savings account by the Government, it said.
Dairy
The Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme must be continued in 2024, it said, and called for a €100/head payment to farmers for the rearing of calves.
Dairy farmers should be eligible for the Fodder Support Scheme, said the IFA. \ Claire Nash
The IFA has proposed that dairy farmers should be considered eligible for the Fodder Support Scheme in the future.
Farm schemes
The IFA is calling for the maximum ACRES payment of €10,500 to be made available to all farmers in both the ACRES general and co-operation options. It has also called for all farmers under tranche two to be accommodated in the scheme.
Under the areas of natural constraint (ANC) scheme, it is seeking for an increase in the overall budget of €50m to bring it to €300m for 2023.
It has also called for a full review of the “internal operating dynamic surrounding designations” and for a review of compensation for farmers with designated land.
It also wants a standalone TAMS grant for slurry storage and for a total budget of €90m in total for TAMS in 2024.
Tax reliefs
The IFA has called for the stamp duty charge of 7.5% to be slashed to 1% for land transfers of up to €1m, rising to 2% thereafter.
It is also seeking that young trained farmer stamp duty relief should be fully removed from state aid or the ceiling be increased to €150,000 to allow for greater land mobility, encourage land transfer and develop economically viable farm units and for consanguinity relief to be retained in its current form.
The IFA’s national council has agreed a list of proposals it will put forward for farmers ahead of October's budget. \ Philip Doyle
An agricultural rainy-day fund should also be introduced, it said. This would allow all farmers to put aside a small percentage of their gross receipts, whether in their co-op, specially assigned bank account or State farm volatility fund, which could be used by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).
“The deferred funds could subsequently be draw down within the next five years and the tax due would be paid on the year of withdrawal; similar to how companies are allowed to offset their losses to protect the viability of the business by carrying it forward from a loss-making year to a profit-making year,” it said.
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