The leader of the Social Democrats, Holly Cairns, has called on the government to increase funding for the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) by 50%.
Deputy Cairns also said that the acreage limit that can be applied for by an individual farmer under the scheme should be increased from the current 40ha.
Responding to the parliament question from the Cork South-West TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said that he is keeping the SIM scheme “under review”.
However, the minister added that “the final annual allocation for the scheme is subject to the national budgetary process and uptake by farmers”.
Funding
The purpose of the SIM is to chop straw and incorporate it into the soil, thereby improving soil organic matter with which a lot of additional environmental and climate change benefits are associated.
These include increased carbon storing potential, recycling nutrients to tillage soils, increased soil workability, increased water holding capacity and soil microbial activity.
Since the introduction of the SIM on a pilot basis in 2021, the minister said that the scheme has proven to be “very successful and popular with farmers”.
“In 2022 just over €11.1 million was paid out to 2,527 farmers on an area of approximately 50,400ha.”
Minister McConalogue included the measure in Ireland’s 2023-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.
“The indicative annual financial allocation for this measure in the CSP is €10 million and is payable on the chopping and incorporation of straw between 5ha up to a maximum of 40ha.
“The rate of payment is €250/ha for barley, wheat, oats and rye and €150/ha for oilseed rape,” the minister said.