Harvest 2026 grain prices are failing to give Ireland's hard-hit tillage farmers an adequate margin, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and the Irish Grain Growers Group (IGGG) said after the co-operative Tirlán announced its latest grain and oilseed price schedule, Agriland reports.

IFA national grain chair John Murphy acknowledged that world grain markets have come under pressure in recent weeks, but said it is the sharp rise in input and labour costs that is squeezing margins. He urged grain buyers and feed compounders to prioritise Irish grain in their rations and called on the government to commit to a €68 million support package for tillage in the budget due in a week, "given the outcome of such a poor harvest this year".

IGGG secretary Clive Carter said Tirlán's savings on grain drying this year would have allowed another €10 a tonne, bringing barley and wheat to €230 and €240 a tonne. "At that level of return, growers would have some hope of making ends meet over the coming months," he said.

Carter noted that co-ops had given dairy farmers support of up to €40 a tonne towards meal during this year's drought, and argued the price announcement did not reflect the role of meal feeding in milk production. IGGG also wants a significant tillage package in Budget 2027.

"Under current circumstances, many grain growers will have difficulty paying their bills over the coming months," Carter said, adding that with no sign of margins recovering, growers will have to consider every cost-cutting measure, including potash and phosphate holidays.

Photo: Colin Grice / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Source: Agriland