Martin Heydon
Kildare South · Fine Gael · Ireland
“In the time allotted to us, I would say we will not be able to cover everything in CAP. To take the last point first, the budget is everything. While it is not part of my negotiations as chair of the AGRIFISH Council, it is a key focus of the Irish Presidency.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important point. A key focus of Food Vision 2030, the shared stakeholder-led strategy for the agrifood sector, is to grow the value of Irish agrifood exports in international markets, which, as I outlined earlier, we have been very successful at in recent years.”
“All producers selling raw milk must register with my Department and are subject to risk-based official controls that include inspection, audit and sampling.”
“Whether it is farmers with particular issues that are leading to environmental issues or issues with structures that need to be replaced, we are very lucky to have capital support in agriculture. I really believe in our TAMS structure.”
“I was delighted to be able to introduce the tillage sustainability support scheme earlier this year. I have not been found wanting in standing up and supporting a tillage sector that has been under pressure in recent times. The same applies to horticulture.”
“Following the publication of the report, I wrote to the chairperson of the board on 22 June 2026, requesting that the board develop a timely and effective action plan to address the recommendations in the report, and I will be seeking regular updates on its progress. I want to see these recommendations implemented and progressed.”
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“On Feirm Ground is about advisers identifying farmers who are showing signs of distress. These are farmers the advisers know well who, in conversation when leaning over a gate, might say they are not feeling right. It is about equipping people like vets and officials in my Department to signpost supports to farmers because not knowing where to go can be a challenge. It is about making sure they are well equipped to point out and signpost those supports.”
“I thank Deputies Moynihan and Cleere for raising very valid points. To respond to Deputy Moynihan first, I am looking at every engagement farmers have whether on the farm when someone like the AI man, the milk collection, the vet or the farm adviser visits or on the knowledge transfer walks. The Deputy talked about farm walks. Knowledge transfer groups are a great way of addressing farmer mental health and well-being. I take great heart from having seen farmer mental health and well-being becoming more prominent at the agriculture shows I have attended in recent years. There are now stands at those shows. This is not about having a day when farmers go to talk about their mental health; it is about incorporating it into everything they do. That is key. The same point applies in responding to Deputy Cleere's contribution.”
“As regards the fund available to the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, this year, I know he is looking at a number of projects there around engagement and social isolation and to support farmers in their mental health. I will absolutely support those endeavours because this is key. The heart of Food Vision 2030 is about minding our farmers as our primary producers.”
“Exactly. There are a lot of pressures in farming from price to weather to rushing around and all those different elements. The pandemic really brought home the fact that the lockdown took away the key social engagements that farmers had that they really depended upon such as the trip to the mart, maybe the trip to mass or religious service at the weekend, a trip to a pub or a trip to a local sporting event. That was the only break away from the farm where they could meet other farmers and share their experiences and concerns, whether it was a local farm organisation branch meeting or whatever, and realise that the pressures they were feeling were the same as everybody else's. The area of mental health is directly linked to farm safety.”
“They might not realise that the fact that they have not been sleeping right or that they are not eating right has all contributed to this buildup. A lot of what On Feirm Ground is about is training those people who engage with farmers or who meet them such as their advisers, the vets and the feed merchants who come into the yard. When they identify that the farmer is struggling, they can signpost supports that exist for them.”
“The Deputy is dead right. The work is isolated in nature. I know that from my time farming at home. The days were long. If I was in the tractor on my own all day doing a job or out tending to fencing or to livestock, I could have too much time with my own thoughts, I used to find. It does not happen in politics much; we tend to be much busier and kept well distracted. I am being flippant about what is a very serious issue here. The truth is that there is that isolated nature of the challenges, and if that person tends to live on their own or does not have the family support network, it can be an even greater risk. In many respects what we are talking about here is the people themselves identifying that they are under pressure. They might not realise they are under as much pressure.”
“Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, health and well-being, and Department officials are currently developing further initiatives for this year, which will be announced in due course.”
“Examples of projects include the DCU-led FarMHealth research project, which examined farmers' mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviour to inform the development of an educational mental health intervention for farmers, and the UCD-led Farming Minds: Developing evidence-based interventions to enhance farmer mental health. My Department distributed the Health and Safety Authority's farm safety partnership booklet, Farmers' Health and Wellbeing - A Guide to Staying Healthy While Farming, in the BISS packs in 2023. This year, the HSA's Guidance on Managing Fatigue with Farm Work booklet will be distributed in the 2025 packs.”
“This expanded programme is providing training for agricultural advisers, vets, Department staff, members of farming organisations and other agricultural professionals and service providers, to signpost farmers to health and well-being supports. Last year, I supported 20 farm safety, health and well-being projects under an open call. More than half of these projects focused on farmers' mental health and well-being and provided a range of approaches to supporting farmers. Projects that engaged directly with farmers through physical and mental health checks proved particularly successful. I am also supporting research into farmer mental health.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this question on such an important issue. Farm safety, health and well-being is a priority for this Government. There is a specific focus in the programme for Government on farmer mental health and well-being, recognising the unique challenges faced by the sector. I secured dedicated funding of €2.5 million in budget 2025 to build on previous efforts of my Department to improve the safety, health and well-being of our farming community. This funding will be used for the continuation of existing initiatives and to develop new initiatives for 2025. One example of such initiatives is the farmers' physical and mental health awareness programme On Feirm Ground 2, which my Department is cofunding along with the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health.”
“The livestock, dairy, beef and sheep sectors and beyond are very dependent on the tillage sector and vice versa , so it is really important that we mind all those sectors when they go through those rough times but also recognise the fact that there are opportunities for diversified income for farmers from alternative renewable energy sources. It is good for farmers to be able to maximise those returns while also not losing sight of the very important role we have in producing food.”
“I thank the Deputy again for raising this. There are two points at the heart of his question. One is the importance of our tillage sector, on which I absolutely concur with him. There is a reason my Department has had a number of interventions to support the tillage sector, which has come through a couple of really difficult years, from straw incorporation and protein aid to the tillage payment, which I was delighted to be able to sign off on early into my term. These are the supports for a tillage sector that is absolutely vital. I have always made the point that agriculture and all the different enterprises within agriculture are like a gearbox and each enterprise is dependent on the other.”
“While issues regarding planning fall under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my Department will input into the development of these guidelines due to the potential impact on agricultural land. In the meantime, my Department will continue to support farmers to ensure that Ireland maintains its position as a producer of sustainable food with a global reputation for quality.”
“I understand that concern among farmers who see highly productive agricultural land have ground solar put in and that land come out of food production or definitely reduced. As landowners subject to planning and other considerations, farmers have property rights which are protected by the Constitution and a legitimate interest in maximising the income from their holdings. However, it is important that food production is not negatively impacted by the development of solar farms. The programme for Government has committed to introducing planning guidelines for solar farms and to provide certainty in the development of solar energy in agriculture.”
“The income they derived from the cattle, sheep or grain that was in that shed continued, yet they got to supplement their income by having solar panels on the roof of their sheds. These can contribute in a positive way to the decarbonisation of the energy system. The solar capital investment scheme for example, one of the measures in TAMS, provides support to farmers wishing to invest in renewable energy making use of existing shed roof space. Government policy was to do away with the requirement for planning permission for that as well.”
“My Department also supports the production of indigenous renewable energy. As set out in the Food Vision Tillage Group report, there are opportunities for tillage farmers to contribute to renewable energy. On-farm renewable energy generation activities offer farm diversification and income opportunities. Earlier, we discussed the challenges of generation renewal and at its heart is an impediment for younger farmers taking over the family farm and it can be that piece around income. Elements that can drive the diversification of income and provide additional income opportunities are important. Measures taken during the previous Dáil included taking away the requirement for planning permission for solar panels on roofs of sheds. Farmers' core activity of producing top quality, safe and nutritious food continued.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and the specific example of north Kildare, an area I obviously know well and is close to my heart. As the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am committed to driving sustainable agriculture practices that underpin Ireland's food sector and contribute more broadly to food security through an export market valued at €19 billion. The tillage sector is an important and integral component of Ireland's agrifood industry. The Government is committed to growing a vibrant tillage sector, as set out in the programme for Government, aligning with the roadmap set out in the Food Vision Tillage Group report, which was published last May. A vibrant and sustainable tillage sector is central to increasing our food and feed security while also contributing to our climate objectives.”
“I understand the historic nature of the issue and respect the fact that the Deputy is raising it almost 24 years since the outbreak in 2001, which had a dreadful impact on the whole country but particularly on the Cooley area. I take on board the points the Deputy raised. The matter has an historic nature. I am aware that there were legal cases.”
“What happens in one housing unit could happen in another. I will address the other points in my response to the Deputy’s supplementary question.”
“On the point on our island status, I have collaborated very closely with my counterpart Andrew Muir in Stormont, who has responsibility on his side of the Border, be it in respect of avian flu, the potential risk of FMD or, as the Deputy mentioned in her original question, bluetongue. Bluetongue is prevalent in England and is it a very major concern for us as we head into the time of year when its risk of spread by midges increases. The island of Ireland is one epidemiological unit. Diseases and animals do not know where an invisible border is and therefore we work very closely with our counterparts. To take the example of avian flu, our response was very much co-ordinated. We both issued a housing order at the same time, mindful that some of the outbreaks were very close to the Border.”
“Officials have carried out a communications campaign for type 2 transporters - that is, people authorised to transport animals - in this regard. I can confirm that there have been no movements of FMD-susceptible species, namely cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, buffalo and camelids, into Ireland from any of the impacted areas in the period since 1 January 2025, which is the potential risk period. Within my Department, preparations are ongoing to heighten our preparedness for all eventualities and to ensure a prompt and effective response to any suspect FMD case. I thank the Deputy for raising this. I understand she is doing so based on the experience of people in Louth had at the time of the FMD outbreak in 2001. We never want to experience that again.”
“My Department is carrying out an ongoing public awareness campaign to highlight the risk of foot and mouth disease to Ireland. This includes posters at airports and ports to raise vigilance. Livestock owners in Ireland are advised to implement biosecurity measures to mitigate the risk of an outbreak of the disease in this country. Furthermore, anyone coming from an FMD-affected region should avoid entering a farm for 14 days following arrival in Ireland to prevent the risk of contaminated clothing, footwear, vehicles or equipment coming into contact with livestock. Any vehicles bringing livestock or horses from Hungary, Slovakia or any other affected area to Ireland should be thoroughly disinfected.”
“I thank Deputy McGreehan for raising what is a really important point. The recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Hungary, Slovakia and Germany have highlighted the ongoing threat posed by the disease to Irish livestock. FMD is present in large parts of the developing world, causing major losses to livestock farmers and presenting a continuous risk of spread to parts of the world that are normally free from the disease, such as Ireland. My Department has comprehensive contingency plans in place to deal with FMD, covering suspect cases, confirmed disease outbreaks and the question of how we would eradicate the disease following an incursion. Simulation exercises are carried out by my officials and the plan is updated as and when needed.”
“A number of actions have already been taken to improve the position of farmers in the supply chain in recent years: increased market transparency reporting, including the reporting of the weekly selling price for drinking milk; the introduction of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain (Unfair Trading) Regulations 2023; and, obviously, the establishment of the Agri-Food Regulator, which is another key element in bringing transparency to the system and ensuring fairness in the relationship between the primary producer, processor and retailer.”
“The value of agricultural output rose by 8% to €12.2 billion in 2024. This was driven mainly by a 17% increase in milk prices as milk accounts for one third of the value of agricultural output overall. These trends can change, however. As we know, there is considerable volatility in the sector and this presents a really big challenge for our farmers and food industry. My Department closely monitors the trends, reflecting the volatile nature of input and output prices in the agrifood sector. The overall strategy, Food Vision 2030, has four interlinked missions at its core, one of which is ensuring the resilience of primary producers.”
“At present, the current trends for dairy farmers are positive with regard to input and output prices. Milk experienced a significant agricultural output price increase of 33% in the 12-month period to January 2025. In the same period, the price of agricultural inputs fell by 3.7%, with notable reductions in the prices of electricity, feed and fertilisers.”
“That is why new markets and continuing to grow our market share in existing markets is so important. Our job in the Department of agriculture is to meet all of the regulatory requirements of other countries so that we can can gain market access and trade there. It is then up to the Irish food processors and food companies to see that the price they are getting for Irish farmers’ produce is the best they can get. The more markets they have open to them, the more opportunities they have. Not filling a market that we open with produce straightaway is not a sign of failure. My Department has achieved by giving a range of options so farmers’ produce can yield the best possible return. At the heart of Food Vision 2030 is getting the greatest return for our produce and adding value.”
“The Central Statistics Office reports on a monthly basis agricultural outputs, trends and prices paid to farmers for their produce, and agricultural input prices paid by farmers for purchases of goods and services. Over the 12 months to January 2025, the overall agricultural output price index, which is prices, rose by 20%. The first monthly indications for 2025 are positive, with output prices rising by 2% compared to the previous January and input costs falling by almost 5%.”
“On the specific question, as the Minister for agriculture, I do not have a role in setting or controlling prices for any commodity, but working with the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, I have responsibility for working on new market development and trade, making sure we open more opportunities for Ireland, continue to enhance the markets we are in and grow the value added in those places, and continue to seek new markets so that we are never dependent on one individual market. This week is a good example, as Brexit was before, of why we do that. As part of its role in supporting the sector, however, my Department monitors developments in prices received and costs borne by Irish farmers.”
“To make sure we can offset the worst impacts, we continue to engage at European level with our counterparts as well. The Tánaiste, as the Minister with responsibility for trade, has dealings with the Commissioner. With my role in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, we continue to make every point about the direct impact that tariffs and countermeasures could have on our agrifood sector.”
“I agree. Everyone is concerned about what will happen with the tariffs from the United States and the impact they will have on our agrifood sector. America is our second biggest market. We export €2 billion worth of agrifood and drink products to there, with butter and dairy being a key component of that, the butter market alone accounting for nearly €500 million. Of the 59,000 tonnes of butter that the EU exports to the US, 51,000 tonnes comes from Ireland. It is the pride of our Kerrygold brand that it is in such a premium position in the US market. This is why, next week, I will travel to the United States on an agrifood trade mission to meet political representatives in Washington, Irish agrifood companies and American companies that engage with us greatly.”
“I have seen videos from other political entities engaging in scaremongering, linking this with nature restoration and lots of other things, and playing on farmers' concerns. This is not that. This is not something that, in the years to come, will have a significant impact on farmers. This will not have loads of farmers in breach of this in years to come because I have made sure that the process that has gone to the Commission will allow day-to-day activity to continue as normal.”
“I agree because what is being presented is not what is reality. The Deputy used the word "designation", so I am not surprised that farmers are petrified. This is not a designation. It is a baseline requirement for applying for a single farm payment, or the basic income support for sustainability, BISS, scheme, as it is now known. Of course farmers would have concerns on that but a planning authority would not know whether a land parcel is in or out of GAEC 2. It will have absolutely no impact on somebody applying for planning, whether it is mineral soil or the peat element. The same rules apply for planning for the sceptic tank, for example. Someone does the subsurface T test to determine whether there is peat. That is completely separate to this. This is not a designation. I understand why farmers are petrified.”
“It allows for the maintenance of existing drains and even for new drainage in line with existing planning requirements. This is not the figure. It is only a baseline requirement for the single farm payment. That is what is required here. GAEC 8 and GAEC 9 use the LPIS as a small controllable area.”
“There was extensive analysis of this by officials in my Department and engagement with farm organisations over past two years on trying to come to a solution. This is the most practical approach. It will have no direct impact on a farmer's daily activity on that land. I take issue with the statement that this will have a detrimental effect on farmers. In response to the Deputy's specific question about how we adjudicate on what is in and what is out, it can lead to an inference that it is important to be out. It will not actually make a material difference to farmers' day-to-day activities. Due to our negotiation with the Commission - we hope it will approve the proposal that is with it now - that day-to-day activity can continue. It allows ploughing and reseeding to happen.”
“This is a practical approach that meets the baseline conditionality of what we want to do. On the inclusion mineral soils, the conditionality requirements must be controlled at a land parcel level. Trying to isolate parts of the parcel where activities can or cannot take place is not practical and would be difficult to control from both a farmer and administrative perspective. A clear, parcel-based approach, based on well understood maps, is a fair way to ensure that we get the required protection in place and farmers have no uncertainty as to the requirements. It is in all our interests for farmers to have certainty. This is why we are waiting for a response from the Commission.”
“The proposed approach is that, where a parcel has a 50% or greater overlap of carbon-rich soils, then the parcel is a GAEC 2 parcel. To apply a different threshold than 50% would either bring far more mineral soils into the standard or leave too much peat soil outside the protection of the standard, meaning it would probably not be acceptable to the Commission. While there is no consensus among stakeholders, I believe this percentage strikes the right balance. There is concern around 100,000 ha of mineral-rich soils coming in. We have to use the land parcel identification system, LPIS, at the smallest controllable area to reference. If we did not use the 50% carbon-rich peat soil element, we would be in a position where could bring in 880,000 ha of mineral-rich soil. Nobody wants that.”
“I thank Deputy Kenny and look forward to working with him in the term ahead. I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue about which there has been a lot of concern - I absolutely understand that - for farmers who are working on peat-based or carbon-rich soils. There has been an element of misinformation or misunderstanding of what the GAECs are. I am happy to have the opportunity again to put on the record of the House that GAEC 2 is a baseline requirement under the CAP regulations for the protection of carbon-rich soils. It is legally required to be put in place for 2025 as part of the basic income support for sustainability. On the question posed, extensive consultation has taken place over the past two years with stakeholders about the land area to be subject to the conditionality and how it is to be controlled.”
“All of us on the ministerial team in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine will continue to engage with our stakeholders to ensure the long-term economic, environmental and social sustainability of the sector.”
“The points raised by Deputy O'Donoghue illustrate some of the other challenges we face in this sector. At its heart is the challenge relating to succession. Income is also a key issue - the income the next generation of young male and female farmers can expect to attain. It feeds into their decision as to whether they want to take on the farm or not. That is why Food Vision 2030, our overall guiding stakeholder-led strategy, is focused on: improving the competitiveness and productivity of primary producers; increasing the creation of value and distributing it fairly; introducing greater diversification in production systems and incomes; and improving the social sustainability of primary producers across areas such as generational renewal, gender balance, health and safety, mental health and well-being, and wider rural development.”
“As the Deputy outlined, volatility is a significant issue. The volatility in input and output costs was reflected in family farm income. Following record years for income in 2021 and 2022, incomes fell in 2023. However, estimates for 2024 and the forecast for 2025 are more positive. Teagasc estimates an average increase of 49% for 2024 - admittedly from a low base - with all sectors estimated to have experienced gains. In 2025, average family farm income is forecast to rise by a further 22%. I will continue to support farmers through the €9.8 billion CAP strategic plan and via specific supports where required. One of the four missions of Food Vision 2030, our stakeholder-led strategy for the agrifood sector, is for viable and resilient primary producers with enhanced well-being.”
“It should be noted that costs have decreased by about 20% since their peak, but I absolutely acknowledge that that peak was very high as a result of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine and the knock-on implications relating thereto. I acknowledge that they remain relatively high.”
“If any of those is out of balance, the stool falls over. The economic stability is just as important to keep all three in balance. My Department closely monitors the trends in agriculture costs and prices, with the Central Statistics Office producing agricultural input and output price indices on a monthly basis. Arising from geopolitical events, the economy generally has experienced significant price inflation in recent years, including inflation fuelled by supply chain disruption and rising energy costs. Agriculture was not immune from this inflation and, as a result, the agricultural input index peaked in November of 2022.”
“I start my first Oral Questions as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine by wishing Deputy O'Donoghue well in his role as agriculture spokesperson for Labour and Deputy Kenny as agriculture spokesperson for Sinn Féin. Deputy Mac Lochlainn, who has left because he has an engagement, and the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, will work on all things to do with fisheries. We look forward to having a constructive relationship, with them holding us to account and us doing our best. We will debate the issues that matter for the betterment of the farming and agriculture sector in this country, which is so important. I thank Deputy O'Donoghue for his question. The economic sustainability of family farms is a key priority for me and for the Government. Sustainability is a three-legged stool, involving environment, economic and social aspects.”
“The reason there is a motion of confidence in the Ceann Comhairle is because the Opposition had problems with how she called a vote last week, a vote that was an orchestrated attempt to not allow her to call it. I saw contrived attempts, led by Sinn Féin and others, to shout her down. I ask the Opposition to accept the democratic vote and let us get on with the work and business of this Parliament. Let us form our Oireachtas committees and let us have an end to the coalition of chaos from the Opposition.”
“They are worried about what might happen with the cost of living depending on what comes out or what decisions are announced by the US and what response comes from the EU. In all of the big things that have happened in the Dáil, never was a majority Government blocked from being formed like what happened here on 22 January. Never before did we have a day like today where we had a vote of no confidence in the Ceann Comhairle. On reflecting on all of this and on the issue at hand, the one thing that strikes me is the complete lack of proportionality from the Opposition on this issue. The response has been disproportionate to the issue at hand when we consider the history of this House and all that has happened here before. I ask for the Opposition to accept the democratic vote that will happen in this House today.”
“This House has seen many crises, from the Emergency in the Second World War - it sat throughout all of those times - to the oil crisis in the 1970s, the emigration crisis of the 1980s, the Troubles in the North throughout all those generations and the havoc it wreaked on our country, the economic crisis of 2008 and, more recently, Brexit in 2016, the pandemic in 2020 when we had to cross the River Liffey to go over to the convention centre to continue this work of Parliament, and the Ukrainian crisis of 2022 with the illegal invasion and cost-of-living crisis that came from that. Tomorrow, we face another big challenge. Thousands of workers around the country right now are driving home from work worried about whether they will still have a job in the weeks and months ahead.”
“As I rise to my feet to express confidence in the Ceann Comhairle, I reflect on 106 years of Dáil Eireann, during that time from its first sitting on 21 January 1919, with the revolutionary Irish Republic being formed with some of its Members still in prison, to 9 March 1932 when we had that first changeover of power between two parties, when reportedly some Members of this House carried weapons into the Dáil Chamber only for W. T. Cosgrave to intervene and ensure a peaceful passing over of power.”
“I am happy to answer this question. This structural change is very much seen by Coillte as bringing the whole area of biodiversity and its importance into the heart of the Coillte organisation and it is not in any way a diminution of the importance of the work that Coillte Nature did previously. It is just a structural change within that organisation, and the key focus and importance of that within the Coillte organisation.”
“Having been a Minister of State for four and a half years, served on Front Bench duty and regularly been in here answering questions on behalf of other Ministers, I strongly believe that this House deserves respect to be shown by ensuring that when a question on agriculture is asked, we will endeavour to ensure that a Minister or Minister of State from my Department will answer it. We will be here and answerable to the Members of this House. That is the least this House and its Members deserve. As far as is possible we will try to stick to that. It is really important.”