Farming organisations welcome start of tillage sustainability payments
There has been a strong welcome from the farming organisations for the commencement of the new tillage sustainability payments.
The coming days will see a total of €29.1 million paid out to the 8,554 farmers deemed eligible for the new National Tillage Sustainability Support Scheme.
Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) National Grain Committee chair, John Murphy, commented: “I welcome the payment of the monies.
"But it’s important that the sustainability scheme is developed into a multi-annual scheme with an enhanced budget.
“We are working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with this clear objective in place."
Irish Grain Growers' Group (IGGG) secretary Clive Carter said the monies are being made available at a time when tillage farmers need it most.
He added: “Field work has gotten underway over recent days with growers gearing up for the spring planting season.
“It’s important that the sustainability measure is developed into a scheme that can meet the needs of tillage farmers into the future."
Meanwhile, the costs associated with crop planting and management continue to escalate.
Murphy said: “Recent hikes in fuel costs have increased planting costs by €15/ac.
“And we are seeing no real sign of an increase in grain prices that would compensate for the very significant pressure that is now coming on crop production costs.
“It all adds up to the prospect of yet more pressure coming on tillage margins in 2026.
“Grain prices will only start to increase if world production levels start to fall.”
Clive Carter is of the view that the start of the upcoming grain harvest in the southern hemisphere may well be a tipping point for international cereal prices as growers in Australia, New Zealand and South America are faced with the prospect of buying new season fertiliser and other crop inputs at highly inflated prices.
Grain production
Recent days have seen feed wheat futures’ prices with a number of supply factors contributing to this development.
These include a projected increase in Russian grain production forecasts for 2026 and the return of much needed rains across the southern US plains - one of North America’s key grain growing regions.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that that 84% of French winter wheat is in good-to-excellent condition. The equivalent figure for mid-March 2025 was 74%.
It has also been reported that spring barley plantings in France are now 95% complete, ahead of the five-year average of 88%.
