Galway farmers see progress in the 2025 Budget, yet challenges remain unmet
By Grace Hanna
The Budget 2025 saw more than €2 billion allocated to the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.
Key changes included a new €400,000 tax inheritance limit, €25/ewe sheep payments, a €25/head boost for suckler farmers, a new payment for tillage farmers, and €40/calf for dairy-beef calves.
However, despite these changes a number of farming organisations across the country are saying their challenges remain “unmet”.
Speaking to Galway Pulse, Vincent Roddy, President of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) said, “Galway has a high sheep population and that €5 per ewe increase will definitely give an extra boost to farmers in the area”.
Mr Roddy also acknowledged Galway’s suckler farmers and while he did welcome more money going into the National Beef Suckler Scheme, he said it was “merely not enough”.
Pragmatic proposals
Mr Roddy explained that the INHFA budget proposal sought an overall support package for the sheep sector of €30/ewe.
“While it hasn’t got to that this time around, we can realistically expect to get there by 2026.”
Commenting on the €5 million allocated to a scheme for forgotten farmers, Mr Roddy said, “A high number of the forgotten farmer group would be in the Galway area but the figure given won’t come close to what what’s needed”.
Mr Roddy also added that an issue farmers are having is they are only benefitting marginally.
“In the context of what was a giveaway budget, agriculture hasn’t benefitted to the extent other sectors have.”
Hitting incomes hard
In a statement to Galway Pulse, local dairy farmer Alan Coleman said that although not much impact was made for the dairy sector he welcomes the new changes.
“The increase in support for the tillage sector is important for both dairy and tillage farmers as we acquire feed and straw from that sector.”
The dairy farmer added that the dairy-beef calves increase is also profitable for “selling out calves and concentrate on milk production”.
However, he admitted the support could have gone further.
“This year’s bad weather has hit farming incomes hard and I think that’s the thing that was totally missed.”
