IFA
The IFA wants the CBAM on fertiliser and carbon tax on fuel removed in Budget 2027.
It says there can be no repeat of Budget 2026’s line cuts to scheme payments to individual farmers, with adequate funding needed for the National Sheep and Beef Welfare Schemes.
IFA wants targeted payments of €300/cow, €35/ewe and €250/ha of tillage land. TAMS will need €100m in 2027, the IFA say, and ACRES must be reopened for applicants. Arbritary ceilings on TB reactor valuations must be removed. Full tax relief for land leased to horticulture producers is sought.
A permanent solution to the residental zoned land tax (RZLT) being applied to farmland is needed.
ICMSA
The ICMSA wants maximum support for fertiliser purchase, and the organisation is pushing for financial support for fodder transport. These supports could reach a combined €60m. There was real disappointment that the ICMSA’s big ask – an income volatility measure – was not adopted last year. It believes its need is highlighted by the tax bills now facing dairy farmers in a lower-income year. It wants measures introduced that would allow farmers to put monies aside in Revenue-supervised accounts in better years, to be drawn down in more difficult years, to ‘smooth-out’ income.
President Denis Drennan maintains that income averaging doesn’t work due to the huge volatility in farm incomes year-to-year.
Macra
Macra’s key asks include a pilot succession scheme worth €5m in 2027, the continuation of support for the Land Mobility Service to the tune of €150,000, and increased TAMS funding of €40m for young farmers plus a ringfenced fund for nutrient storage.
A new call is for a €500m ‘Growth and Sustainability’ low-cost loan fund for young farmers.
In relation to access to housing, Macra want reform of the vacant and derelict property grant.
Dedicated funding for mental health provision, including Macra’s “Make the Moove” initiative, is called for, as are increased supports for farm safety and addiction services.
INHFA
The INHFA’s big ask is a dedicated payment of €300/ha for all designated lands and lands that would be impacted by the Nature Restoration Law.
It also wants a fund to compensate landowners selling land whose value has been impaired by designation. This would require an annual budget of €500m.
On ACRES, INHFA seeks a bonus payment of €2,000 where habitats are high-scoring. It says the Sheep Improvement Scheme payment should go to €15/ewe.
A suckler scheme worth €200 on the first 10 cows is sought, with no linkage to Bord Bia membership.
ICSA
The cost of fuel is a focus of the ICSA’s budget asks. Edmund Phelan, the ICSA’s rural development chair, called on Tuesday for a package including the abolition of carbon tax on fuel, a reduction of the 13.5% VAT rate on agri-diesel, a cap on the overall price of agri-fuel, an increase in the rebate on the carbon tax paid on agri-fuel, a permanent agricultural fuel tax relief, and the cutting of VAT on kerosene (home heating oil).
The ICSA also wants the cost of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) fully offset.
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