The IFA is calling on the Minister for Agriculture to provide €67m in funding for a tillage survival scheme in 2024 and further funding for a tillage expansion scheme.

The survival scheme would pay farmers with over 15ha of tillage crops €250/ha for five years and farmers would have to be undertaking sustainability measures on farm like using protected urea, liquid nitrogen, leaving over winter stubble or arable margins to receive the payment.

It said that €30m was already committed to tillage in the budget, so a top-up of €37m would be needed.

The second scheme is aimed at increasing tillage area.

The tillage expansion scheme would be a five-year scheme paying farmers €400/ha to convert grass to tillage in year one and €250/ha in its second year and the years following.

IFA grain chair Kieran McEvoy told the Irish Farmers Journal that tillage farmers are disillusioned and fear the area will get so small it cannot be recovered.

“We need to expand the tillage sector but we need to hold the tillage farmers that are there too. This scheme needs to come quickly.”