Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2024
480. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering allocating funding to address the tillage vision stakeholder group report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17486/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe tillage sector is an important and integral component of the Agri-food industry and is a sector that I want to see grow and develop. That is why I established the Food Vision Tillage Group in May 2023 to set out a road map for the sustainable growth and development of the sector to 400,000 ha by 2030 in line with the targets set out in the Climate Action Plan.
The Group, which was made up of a wide range of stakeholders from across the industry, finalised its report recently and I am currently considering its recommendations. I would like to thank Matt Dempsey, Chairperson of the group and all the stakeholders for their hard work in producing the final report.
I am acutely aware of the challenges being experienced by farmers throughout the country due to the recent and exceptional weather conditions. The past few months have been very challenging for tillage farmers. Thankfully the weather has improved, and tillage farmers are getting an opportunity to sow crops and to catch up on the backlog of work.
To give confidence to tillage farmers to plant crops this year and to give them confidence in the future of their industry, I recently announced a €100/ha payment for every farmer that puts seed in the soil for the harvest year 2024. I am committed to increasing our tillage area and despite the constraints of my existing budget, I will work to deliver this support for tillage farmers.
