After receiving the news that Ireland is to receive over €14 billion from Apple from unpaid taxes (including interest) there are plenty of suggestions going around as to where the money should be spent.

I was thinking a lot about this and was wondering how some of that windfall could be used to help our industry. Some would say that there are far more worthy sectors and causes that would benefit from the extra money. The housing crisis and healthcare would be some examples. 

While this may be true, a few thoughts did cross my mind as to how the government could help the dealership sector. We know that a lot of farmers are struggling with lower incomes. This is having a knock-on effect on dealers. We can see this in the constant drop in tractor and machinery sales over the past twelve months. The latest Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) report show a continued downward trend of activity in their August 2024 figures. They report a 21% decline in new tractor registrations compared to August 2023. 

Can anything be done to reverse this trend? Perhaps the government could introduce a capital subsidy scheme aimed at low income farmers that would help them with upgrading their buildings and equipment. Last May a record €250 million in funding was allocated to the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. A similar type scheme to help the agricultural and horticultural sector would be very welcome. This would, for example, enable farmers and growers purchase new tractors that are more work and fuel efficient, which would also be good for the environment.

Another option to help our industry would be to create incentives that would encourage more agricultural mechanic apprenticeships. Many dealerships around the country find difficulty in finding suitably qualified people to help run their workshops or spare parts departments. Some dealers may struggle sending one of their staff to college to get formal training. It may be too costly for them or they may not afford to be down a member of staff while they are studying as they could be away for many weeks at a time. It can be quite difficult and costly to find someone to fill the vacancy while they are away. 

A way that could help would be to get the Apprenticeship Employer Grant increased. It is currently at €2,000 per apprentice. Having this increased may encourage more staff to get trained. Having more qualified staff employed would be of immense benefit to the dealership industry.

I’m sure there are many more ways how some of the €14 billion could be spent to help our sector. If we did get some this windfall it would also benefit the wider economy.

In the meantime, with the National Ploughing Championships starting tomorrow (Tuesday) I hope that good weather will prevail over the three days of the event. According to the National Ploughing Association there has already been “huge interest” to enter the prestigious ‘Machine of the Year’ competition.

For those of you who have taken out trade stands at the National Ploughing Championships I hope that you get plenty of sales and that you bring in new customers to your business.