Balancing payments to farmers who are participated in the 2023 Fodder Support Scheme have started to be paid out, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine confirmed today (Thursday, December 14).
Minister Charlie McConalogue said that in the region of €18.5 million will arrive shortly in the bank accounts of more than 55,000 farmers.
“These payments, along with the advance payments issued in December 2022, will further assist farmers that have had to contend with increased agricultural input costs, in particular chemical fertiliser, and the impact that had on the quantity of fodder produced and conserved over the last year,” the minister said today.
The 2023 Fodder Support Scheme was a continuance of the 2022 Fodder Support Scheme and aimed to incentivise farmers, in particular drystock farmers, “to grow more fodder silage and/or hay” in 2023 to ensure Ireland “does not have any animal welfare issues over the winter period”.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) “only successful applicants for the 2022 Fodder Support Scheme were eligible to apply for the 2023 scheme” when it opened in November and December 2022.
Minister McConalogue said that while the initial budget for the Fodder Support Scheme was €30 million – with an overall payment rate of up to €100 per hectare – he had moved to increase this because of challenging circumstances for farmers.
“I committed to continue monitoring the situation around the price of agricultural inputs into 2023 and, if they remained high, to seek additional funding for this scheme.
“In keeping with that commitment, I have secured €23 million of additional funding, which brings the overall budget for the 2023 Fodder Support Scheme to €53 million,” he added.
The minister today also advised farmers who are currently participating in the scheme and who may have “outstanding requests for documentation” from the DAFM “to respond promptly to ensure no further delay to their balancing payments.”
Minister McConalogue added: “Payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days and the department (DAFM) will continue to process all remaining cases for payments as they meet scheme criteria”.