Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said that he is aware that the tillage area is at risk. However, he noted that the decline may be catastrophised.

The tillage area has declined by almost 5,000ha from a recent peak in 2022 to 2025. That peak was reached thanks to the Tillage Incentive Scheme (TIS). Since 2022, the number of farms with tillage declined by almost 1,400.

The cancellation of the TIS, lack of profitability in the sector and access to land have been three of the main reasons for this decline.

Tillage area has come under pressure from dairy farmers trying to meet nitrates derogation requirements and other sectors like solar. This has all resulted in a failure to reach the Government’s target of 360,000ha of tillage by 2025.

At Crops and Technology last week Minister Heydon said: “It is positive that after two really tough years in 2023 and 2024 that we have a stabilisation of the hectarage this year and BISS applications tells us that there is 0.8% of an increase.”

Analysis by the Irish Farmers Journal showed that tillage area increased by 1,840ha this year. But fallow area declined by almost 1,400ha in 2025, so this land had most likely left tillage in the wet year of 2024 and came back into tillage in 2025.

“It’s stabilised, but it hasn’t fallen off a cliff. I’m aware there is a risk that it can happen. We have a tendency to catastrophise in agriculture at times and it’s my job that we’re talking about facts and statistics as they are.

“The fact is that we have a marginally small amount more tillage land this year than we did last year. That’s a positive after two really tough years.”

The minister also noted that no funding will be announced for tillage before the budget in October.

“I’m not in a position for any sector to tell them what I’m going to be able to do in the budget because I don’t know what’s going to be available to me,” he said.

Food Vision Report

The minister said he was keen to implement as many elements of the Food Vision Tillage Report as possible that will add value. He said every opportunity needs to be examined. He noted that as industry needs to reduce its scope three emissions, companies in the sector need to tell the story about the food they produce.

“That will push a bigger focus on where do all their ingredients come from. I know there’s concern among farmers as to how we get to that point where we can turn this into a higher price for their commodity, but it is exactly what we’re trying to do in Food Vision 2030.

“It’s not trying to compete in the World commodity markets on volume. It’s the value-added piece. It’s the higher end markets that we’re going to with that story around the really significant environmental credentials but also nutritional, you see the faba beans and the peas and the really high nutritional elements as well,” he commented.