George Lawlor: Tillage farming faces crisis after Budget 2026
George Lawlor spoke on 15 October 2025 about the deepening crisis facing tillage farmers, criticising Budget 2026 as insufficient and urging a multi-annual support package. He warned many tillage farms are operating at a loss, cited depressed grain prices and demanded timely, transparent and adequate payments.
George Lawlor set out the economic picture for tillage producers, noting favourable weather and strong yields in 2025 but persistently low grain prices. He cited forward prices of €212 per tonne for wheat and €200 for barley, and harvest 2025 tier prices showing feed barley at €190, feed wheat at €200 and malting barley at €222 per tonne. He warned that forecasts from Chagas that average income on tillage farms sits at 43 per cent are misleading because they include mixed farms and much of the predicted income is bolstered by livestock enterprises.
Lawlor described recent farmer action, saying over 1,000 farmers gathered in Nays County Kildare calling for a minimum of €65 million in annual support and that the Irish grain growers sought €92 million to stabilise the sector. He criticised Budget 2026 for delivering only €50 million in total, with €20 million earmarked for existing schemes such as straw chopping and protein payment, and €30 million allocated to a new tillage support scheme whose details he said remain vague. He argued the Budget response is not proportionate to the scale of the crisis.
The speaker framed tillage as part of Ireland’s climate response, saying studies show imported dairy feeds generate 800 kg more CO2 per tonne than Irish-grown grain. He warned that every acre converted from tillage to grassland or every tonne of imported grain substituted for Irish production undermines climate goals and missed opportunities to support domestic produce.
Lawlor urged the minister to deliver multi-annual funding, targeted schemes that reward environmental stewardship and incentives for generational renewal. He pressed for payments that are timely, transparent and sufficient, warning that farmers cannot plant winter crops with borrowed money while unpaid for harvested grain. He emphasised the sector’s importance to rural Ireland and warned against allowing a crisis of confidence to become an industry collapse.
Sector crisis and farm incomes
George Lawlor set out the economic picture for tillage producers, noting favourable weather and strong yields in 2025 but persistently low grain prices. He cited forward prices of €212 per tonne for wheat and €200 for barley, and harvest 2025 tier prices showing feed barley at €190, feed wheat at €200 and malting barley at €222 per tonne. He warned that forecasts from Chagas that average income on tillage farms sits at 43 per cent are misleading because they include mixed farms and much of the predicted income is bolstered by livestock enterprises.
Farmer demands and Budget response
Lawlor described recent farmer action, saying over 1,000 farmers gathered in Nays County Kildare calling for a minimum of €65 million in annual support and that the Irish grain growers sought €92 million to stabilise the sector. He criticised Budget 2026 for delivering only €50 million in total, with €20 million earmarked for existing schemes such as straw chopping and protein payment, and €30 million allocated to a new tillage support scheme whose details he said remain vague. He argued the Budget response is not proportionate to the scale of the crisis.
Environmental and supply arguments
The speaker framed tillage as part of Ireland’s climate response, saying studies show imported dairy feeds generate 800 kg more CO2 per tonne than Irish-grown grain. He warned that every acre converted from tillage to grassland or every tonne of imported grain substituted for Irish production undermines climate goals and missed opportunities to support domestic produce.
Calls to the minister and policy priorities
Lawlor urged the minister to deliver multi-annual funding, targeted schemes that reward environmental stewardship and incentives for generational renewal. He pressed for payments that are timely, transparent and sufficient, warning that farmers cannot plant winter crops with borrowed money while unpaid for harvested grain. He emphasised the sector’s importance to rural Ireland and warned against allowing a crisis of confidence to become an industry collapse.
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Transcript
Thank you. Ministers, as has been outlined in stark detail by many of my colleagues in the chamber here this afternoon, our country's tillage farmers are in a serious crisis, not least in my home county of Wexford. Farmers who have long been the backbone of our agricultural diversity, our food security and our environmental ambition. Today they face a crisis that is not of their making, but one that demands our urgent attention and decisive action by this government. Despite favourable weather and strong yields in 2025, the economic reality for tillage farmers is bleak. Grain prices remain depressed. Forward prices this spring were just €212 per tonne for wheat and €200 for barley. Indeed, if you look at the tier lawn grain pricing for harvest 2025, it is feed barley at €190 per tonne, feed wheat at €200 per tonne and malting barley at €222 per tonne. Chagas forecasts that the average income on tillage farms at 43 per cent, but this includes mixed farms. Crucially, much of this income that they are predicting is bolstered by livestock enterprises, not just crop production on its own. For many tillage farmers, particularly those on leased land, 2025 has been a year of operating at a great loss. At a great loss. This is not just a financial crisis. It is a structural one. It is a crisis of confidence, of viability and of future prospects. Last month, as you know and has been mentioned, over 1000 farmers gathered in Nays County Kildare united in their message that tillage farming is on the brink. They called for a minimum of 65 million in annual support. The Irish grain growers went further, sinking 92 million to stabilise the sector. And yet, Budget 2026 has delivered just €50 million. That includes €20 million for existing schemes such as straw chopping and protein payment and €30 million for a new tillage support scheme. Of course, the details of this still remain vague, Minister. This response is not proportionate to the scale of the crisis. It is not ambitious enough, and it is not urgent enough. We simply have to recognise that tillage farming is not just an economic activity, it is also a climate solution. Studies have shown that imported dairy feeds generate 800 kg more CO2 per tonne than Irish grown grain. Every acre of tillage lost to grassland is a step backward in our climate goals. Every tonne of imported grain is a missed opportunity to support Irish produce. The notion that imported grain is being utilised and used to produce our famous Irish whisky is absolutely nonsensical. The notion that we are taking grain from all parts of the world to produce our legendary Irish whisky beggars belief. Crown Corle and Minister, this is a moment for leadership to support this sector. It is essential that we commit to a multi-annual support package that reflects the strategic importance of tillage farming. We need targeted schemes that reward environmental stewardship and economic sustainability. And also generational renewal with real incentives for young farmers to enter and to remain in the sector. We also have to ensure that payments are timely, transparent and sufficient. We can't expect farmers to plant winter crops with borrowed money whilst they still remain unpaid for the grain that they harvested months ago. It is simply not viable or feasible. To every farmer that is out there in the tillage sector, they certainly, for the conversations that I have been having, feel forgotten. Their work, their enterprise, their industry in that sector, it matters. We have to see the struggle they are in and we have to let them know that their voice is heard in this house and in this chamber. It is essential that we don't allow this crisis to become a collapse in one of our national industries. It is essential that we don't just sow crops but we have to give these people hope for their futures and their families' futures. For succession in this industry. It is not just about cultivating land. It is about a vision that we have for Rural Ireland and the sectors within that. We need to ensure that they remain vibrant and sustainable and just. Minister, I urge you to look at this sector with the necessary means and provide the farmers who offer not just the tillage sector but also a sustainable answer to many of our climate issues. I urge you to offer them the support, the funding and the finance and the hope that they truly and richly deserve. Thank you, David. Thank you, David.