Land under tillage could increase

The amount of land under tillage crops could increase by two thirds according to a new plan for tillage sector.

The Tillage Sector Development Plan, was compiled by the Teagasc tillage crop stakeholder consultative group and was presented to Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney in Dublin today.

He said the tillage sector did not get enough attention and he hoped this development plan would change that. "We will tease through this report in some detail to ensure we are taking action on the back of it," he said. "This is not just going to sit on a shelf, I can promise you that," he said.

The group's chairman, Larry O Reilly said if all the potential increases in crops set out in the report were achieved, the area under crops could increase by 221,730 hectares. "There would be a cumulative potential to increase the output of the sector by €541 million and to create up to 3,000 new jobs," he said.

Group member Andy Doyle, tillage editor with the Irish Farmers Journal, said there was potential for increased output in all the main crop areas. "We see oilseed rape as the crop having the greatest potential for expansion," he said. "We see more barley and wheat needed for the feed sector to support the expanding livestock production that is envisaged in the future and we want quality Irish grains to help support the "brand Ireland" image that will go with the export products from the livestock sector."

The plan also sees potential to expand malting barley production and to increase exports of feed grains to Northern Ireland.

Mr Doyle said there was also increased demand for oats, both with the rising popularity of porridge and oat-based snacks, but also because the growing demand from the equine sector. "We're currently witnessing increasing exports of products from both of those market segments and we believe that there will be increased opportunity there."

He said there was "a huge export potential" for sugar beet and energy crops but this was dependent on outside factors such as changes to the sugar beet quota regime and the provision of support structures to foster the development of the energy crop sector.

Some nine per cent of farmed land, or 378,000 hectares, is now under crops. There are 11,000 tillage farmers in the State and a further 15,000 people work in food processing companies which are dependent on tillage crops.