A nothingburger! Farmers unhappy at ‘non-event’ for agriculture sector

FARMERS have been left in a state of ‘confusion and disappointment’ as Budget 2024 ‘fails to address’ key concerns facing the sector.

But despite being described as a ‘nothingburger’, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue insisted the Budget ‘prioritises farm incomes’.

A total of €1.9billion has been allocated to his department for 2024, which includes over €700million to support farm families in their efforts to tackle the challenges of climate, biodiversity and water quality. In addition, €113million has been set aside for green and sustainable farming schemes, a €32million increase on 2023.

A relief measure supporting the transfer of farms from one generation to the next has also been extended for a period of five years.

A number of farm-related reliefs will be extended to €100,000, which will include young trained farmer

‘Confusion and disappointment’

stamp duty relief, and stock relief for young trained farmers.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath announced that enhanced stock relief for agricultural workers in a registered farm partnership will increase from €15,000 to €20,000. The Budget also included an increase of €57million in funding for an organic farming scheme.

But the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) said the initial response of farmers is one of ‘confusion and disappointment’ at what it termed a ‘complete non-event’. President Pat McCormack said: ‘There’s nothing here that shows the Government even understand the scale of problems – still less want to solve them. All we seem to have got is a rollover of existing reliefs with some minor technical adjustments.’

Mr McCormack added that the Government had ‘again completely failed’ to recognise both the income and regulatory pressures on sole trader farmers.

‘There was never any shortage of Government-appointed groups on the issue of climate change with whom farmers had to engage, there seemed to be a no willingness or commitment on the Government’s part to actually follow up that engagement with the funding to make things happen,’ he said.

‘This Budget... was content to point at alleged agri-environmental problems while shying away from the kind of on-farm funding that would deal with them.’

The ICMSA president said the Budget could be summarised as what the Americans called ‘a nothingburger’. ‘There nothing in it for Irish farmers except a few pro forma relief rollovers,’ he said.

The Irish Farmer’s Association (IFA) criticised the 10% reduction in the agriculture budget from €2.14billion to €1.94billion. ‘It is a long way short of what is required to bolster a sector which is struggling with high input costs, lower commodity prices and unfavourable weather for many sectors,’ said its president Tim Cullinan.

‘Farmers will see little or no ambition in this Budget and will be frustrated to see the farming budget reduced while other department’s budgets have been increased.

Mattie McGrath TD, leader of the Rural Independents, the sector was ‘deeply disappointed’. ‘Farmers had hoped for substantial measures to support their livelihoods, but these expectations have largely gone unmet,’ he said.