Michael Fitzmaurice demands budget to save tillage farmers

First of all thanks for coming in. You said new markets. What is the value of the market last year, this year and the year before? How much extra in millions have you created for tillage farmers through distilleries and all that in higher prices? As yet we haven't because we are only… So what is the point in the usual Pelleva that comes in talking about markets when it is pounds, shillings and pints that farmers need in their pockets. Not talk about new markets that are not delivered. Where are they if you have said you have done the work on them and got them? No, we are just starting. I mean it is going to take a while to shift some of those processes. Do you realise that at the moment we have, say, the dairy medicine coming in knocking down the door, the beef medicine coming in because thankfully the price is good. Farmers only come because they are busy and give out or look, not give out but look for a fair price when they are in trouble. The tillage sector, let no one be calling themselves, is in trouble at the moment. And we are going to lose tillage farmers which is a requirement. I would ask the department, under the climate action plan, and when you look at the requirement of funding that is needed, is it not a no brainer to try and help the tillage sector here more, rather than bringing stuff from, be it Ukraine or the third countries that we will call it the Mercosur countries. Is it not a no brainer to do that, even with all the Pelleva here about the climate? From our point of view, the reality is there is a dependence on imported feed to feed our livestock. Obviously we want to grow the area of tillage and we want to be able to increase that grain. But we are not going to be able to replace imports. The reality is we have livestock to feed. And we are dependent on those imports. And there was a lot of questions in the last session around what are the volume. We have that data and we can happily provide it to you on the imports of feed. So it is very much our intention that we want to do that. But we see, you know, we feel that there are opportunities to increase the area under tillage. And at the moment, we're building the foundations to increase the attractiveness of tillage. Number one, we believe that Irish tillage has, you know, significant opportunities in terms of its carbon footprint. We have supported ICBF, Borbilla and Chagask through the development of the AgNav platform and the tillage module in that specifically to try and capture the carbon footprint of Irish grain. We are working collaboratively with the Serials Association of Ireland, with Borbilla and with players within the market to try and create those value-add opportunities that will differentiate and command a premium for Irish grain, whether that's in food or in drink. But we're at the stage that we're building the building blocks for that. And we'll get the proof points. And then when we have the proof points, then we would hope that there will be a return from the marketplace for Irish grain. But the reality is that the majority of grain coming in is being used for animal feed purposes. Could you talk about opportunities for farmers? Unless I heard it wrong, we're losing, is it a farmer every week? Is that correct? Out of tillage. That's not an opportunity. That's a loss. Just so that you'll understand this. And when you, I understand that grain will come in because we haven't enough in this country. At the moment, you're talking about increasing. Increasing tillage, again, the dairy sector that will give €400 a hectare. Increasing, again, basically solar farms and all of this. So where do you see this expansion coming when we're losing farmers? And why, as a minimum, you talk about Borbilla. Why, as a minimum, when you listen to the different organisations that came in earlier. At the moment, if I used angel dust, I'd be locked up with an animal, right? But you know what? The guys in America can use it. And they can send their stuff in. Why isn't it cleared that genetically modified, as been said by the groups earlier on, genetically modified grain is marked genetically modified clearly, as again, as the grain that's grown in Ireland? Why isn't that done as a minimum requisite, first of all? And second of all, in my opinion, if the budget doesn't deliver for grain farmers, because let's call a spade a spade. If you have the derogation pressing on one side, the dairy farmers are looking for more land, there's no point in saying they're going. And the pressure on land, the forestry crowd's coming in trying to buy land. There is investment companies. There is, as I said earlier on, the solar farms. And the pressure on land, I didn't see any more of it made in the last few years. So the pressure that's on it is ferocious. So what I am saying is the department needs to put a budget to make sure that those farmers are kept going. Or if they don't, everyone will lose. They're gone. And they're out of it. Do you not agree? Very briefly, because we're running on time, if anyone for a quick answer. The board be a one anyhow, the genetically modified, someone might address that. So firstly, there's a very strict regime in relation to the rules and requirements regarding imports of feed into the European Union. And GM feed is allowed to be imported. And there are specific rules around the labelling of feed. Where is the increase for tillage going to come from? There is no doubt that there has been, you know, the access to land was identified as a significant challenge for increasing the area under tillage crops. But ultimately, the decision to invest in tillage rests with the farmers themselves. So what we need to do is we need to give confidence to the sector. You know, we need for people to think that there's an opportunity and a future in that sector. Of course, supports will form a strategic plank of that. But there were also other things that we were doing. And one of the areas that we tried to do was to consider the supports around nutrient importation schemes in August 24 and enhanced nutrient storage, basically for farmers, dairy farmers, and other farmers that they could store slurry rather than having to rent more land. I suppose. I need to move on to that. Yes.