Land rental costs are blowing tillage farmers out of the land market, as dairy farmers snap up land put up for lease at unsustainable prices, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said.
The association claims that stricter nitrates rules are forcing dairy farmers to increase their land area and that this demand has driven leases to the €500/ac mark in many parts of the country.
It warned that these land rental prices could put a curb on the area under tillage, as the sector takes on collateral damage of the nitrates changes.
'Blown out'
“Tillage farmers are being blown out of the land rental market, with prices of €500/ac now commonly reported in south Leinster and Munster,” IFA grain chair Kieran McEvoy said.
“These prices are totally unsustainable for tillage farmers in 2023.”
McEvoy estimates that the amount of land under tillage that is either rented or leased by farmers is between 30% and 40% of all cropped land.
“The tillage sector is heavily dependent on rented and leased land," he explained.
Tillage solutions
The grain chair suggested that the tillage sector could help solve the challenges posed by tighter slurry rules, as nutrients could be exported from dairy farms for use on tillage farms.
He urged the Department of Agriculture to meet with the IFA grain committee on the issue.
“In the majority of cases, tillage farms are the perfect home for slurry from dairy herds and exporting nutrients in the form of slurry must be part of the solution,” McEvoy said.
“If this problem is not addressed, there is a risk the tillage area will contract substantially after two years of growth. Regaining this area will be very difficult.”
Read more
Drystock farmers being blown ‘out of the water’ for rented ground
Tillage farmers forced out of land rental market
Pressure expected on pig slurry exports
Milk price cuts fail to dent dairy farmer demand for land
Land rental costs are blowing tillage farmers out of the land market, as dairy farmers snap up land put up for lease at unsustainable prices, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said.
The association claims that stricter nitrates rules are forcing dairy farmers to increase their land area and that this demand has driven leases to the €500/ac mark in many parts of the country.
It warned that these land rental prices could put a curb on the area under tillage, as the sector takes on collateral damage of the nitrates changes.
'Blown out'
“Tillage farmers are being blown out of the land rental market, with prices of €500/ac now commonly reported in south Leinster and Munster,” IFA grain chair Kieran McEvoy said.
“These prices are totally unsustainable for tillage farmers in 2023.”
McEvoy estimates that the amount of land under tillage that is either rented or leased by farmers is between 30% and 40% of all cropped land.
“The tillage sector is heavily dependent on rented and leased land," he explained.
Tillage solutions
The grain chair suggested that the tillage sector could help solve the challenges posed by tighter slurry rules, as nutrients could be exported from dairy farms for use on tillage farms.
He urged the Department of Agriculture to meet with the IFA grain committee on the issue.
“In the majority of cases, tillage farms are the perfect home for slurry from dairy herds and exporting nutrients in the form of slurry must be part of the solution,” McEvoy said.
“If this problem is not addressed, there is a risk the tillage area will contract substantially after two years of growth. Regaining this area will be very difficult.”
Read more
Drystock farmers being blown ‘out of the water’ for rented ground
Tillage farmers forced out of land rental market
Pressure expected on pig slurry exports
Milk price cuts fail to dent dairy farmer demand for land
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: