The month before harvest annually sees an explosion of activity from those connected with the cereal and tillage sectors.

The figure reproduced here is from the Goldcrop seed firm’s catalogue for the company’s open days held over the last fortnight (see Figure 1).

It puts the cereal world in context.

Not only has production kept pace with population growth but it has well outpaced it, as has yield.

The total area devoted to crops has stayed pretty well static over the last 60 years but it’s clear that the intensity of land use and the adoption of technology has been truly dramatic.

Russia, South America and India have become world class producers, though we have less than complete knowledge on how our relative competitiveness in Europe and Ireland has changed.

A detailed study is overdue so that Irish and European policy can be adjusted to take into account the new realities.

It’s not only the seed houses that are holding serious tillage events in the run-up to the start of the harvest.

UCD had an event at its farm at Lyons near Celbridge last Monday. Teagasc with Irish Farmers Journal participation had a major display and exhibition at Oakpark in Carlow on Wednesday while the Department of Agriculture has its annual open day later this week showing new varieties and trials at its Backweston farm.

It’s clear that institutional and industry support and participation is present.

Despite that, only about 7% of our land base is in tillage.

We have an infrastructure to process and handle a minimum of 2m tonnes while we import another 3m tonnes both as animal feed and milling wheat/flour for human consumption.

With EU budgetary and agricultural policy under intense discussion, now is the time for the Irish administration to clarify its attitude on potential national State aid in the face of EU-enforced reduced competitiveness, leaving aside any point on the sector’s favourable emissions profile.