Macra na Feirme has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, to extend the closing date for the cutting and conservation of silage and or hay under the national Fodder Support Scheme.
The closing date under the scheme for cutting and conservation is September 5, 2022.
However, president of Macra na Feirme, John Keane has said that given the recent dry weather, many farmers have had to graze paddocks and fields previously intended for silage or hay.
“Flexibility is needed around this; many farmers on all soil types across the country have soil moisture deficits on farm and have found it difficult to secure enough winter feed ahead of the closing date of September 5,” Keane explained.
Weather
Macra has highlighted that Met Éireann recently stated that “currently, all soils are quite dry across the country with soil moisture deficits (SMDs) ranging from around 25mm along the west coast up to 70mm in parts of the south and southeast”.
“An extension is needed until the last week of September to allow farmers who have applied for the scheme to cut and conserve winter feed,” Keane continued.
“Growth rates across the country have been below average for a number of weeks now and it makes sense to extend the closing date to help farmers dealing with the increasing costs of conserving winter feed.”
Fodder Support Scheme
Launched by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, the scheme aims to incentivise farmers to grow more silage and/or hay ahead of next winter and spring to avoid a fodder crisis.
The measure is part of the government response to the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on agricultural input costs.
The payment rate will be up to €100/ha, up to a maximum of 10ha, with those payments are expected to begin issuing in late November.
Almost 70,000 farmers applied for the scheme and were asked to confirm and agree to cut and conserve silage and/or hay by September 5, 2022.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that at least 5% of participants in the scheme will be selected for inspection, with a further 3% subject to administrative checks.