Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
461. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which cereal growing continues to be attractive in Ireland; if its viability is coming under pressure from other jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7341/22]
View answerTillage farming makes a significant contribution to the agri-food industry and the economy. The cereal sector is a major contributor of high-quality grain to the feed industry, provides raw material for the food and drinks industry and is a key source of seed production in addition to providing straw to the livestock sector.
Cereal growing continues to be attractive in Ireland with overall cereal area planted in 2021 at 273,843ha which is up significantly from 264,628ha in 2020.
Harvest 2021 was a solid year for tillage farmers with a 21% increase in cereal production from harvest 2020 combined with strong cereal and straw prices. Teagasc National Farm Survey results show that tillage farmers income is second only to dairy farmers income.
I acknowledge that it is difficult for Irish cereal farmers to compete on the commodity (animal feed) markets with grain grown in much lower production cost countries. However, Irish tillage farmers are resilient and have adapted by shifting towards producing more high specification grain for the food and drink sectors which attracts a premium price.
My Department provides valuable supports to the tillage sector by way of the Straw Incorporation Measure, Coupled Protein Aid, capital investment scheme for tillage farmers, a high-quality official crop seed certification scheme to the industry, along with an extensive national crop variety evaluation programme, providing invaluable information to growers on the latest varieties available.
I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to this important sector which is an integral part of Ireland’s agri-food industry.
