Speaking today (Friday) at the launch of AgTech Ireland’s Pre-Budget 2025 Submission, Chairperson Padraig Hennessy said delivering a renewal of the Nitrates derogation was rightly a high priority for farmers, industry and government alike. For farmers to deliver on the required water quality improvements, as well as their climate obligations and biodiversity restoration will require financial and fiscal supports, including for the agtech industry providing some of the solutions.
“When framing the Budget for 2025, it is important for our government to remember rural Ireland is critical to the economic and public life of the country, as well as its environment,” Mr Hennessy said.
“The last couple of years have seen fundamental changes to the Nitrates legislation, concerns over the continuation of the Irish Nitrates derogation, new obligations on carbon emissions under the Climate Action Act and Plans, topped by challenging weather conditions, and this has proven both costly and wearing for farmers’ livelihoods and mental health,” he added.
“Yet, the need to transition to more sustainable farming practices, including by adopting the many tools which our agtech industry is busy developing, has never been greater. It is crucial that farmers would receive continued and strengthened financial and technical supports through CAP and national funds to promote transition to better practices and technology adoption.”
“It is equally important that agtech businesses are supported to thrive and develop, as their role is to accompany this transition. Agtech companies need favourable planning measures and taxation, access to high quality power and telecommunication infrastructure, patient finance, independent scientific validation of technology and local and national agency supports – such as LEO, EI and ISIF.”
“The forthcoming Budget must be used to fund infrastructure and measures supporting the agricultural and agtech ecosystems to enable Ireland to achieve its climate and environmental obligations. We urge our government parties, as well as opposition politicians, to engage with the issues we outline in our submission” Mr Hennessy concluded.
See our pre-Budget 2025 Submission here: https://agtechireland.ie/agtech-ireland-pre-budget-2025-submission/
Launching the AgTech Ireland Pre-Budget 2025 Submission were, l to r: Board Director Deirdre O’Shea, Chairperson Padraig Hennessy, Director William Minchin, Treasurer Lloyd Pearson and COO Catherine Lascurettes.
Press contacts
Padraig Hennessy, Chairperson: 087 2165374 | [email protected]
Catherine Lascurettes, COO: 086 2691197 | [email protected]