The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) applicants may switch the land parcels previously declared with parcels of the same or greater size.
But if farmers decide to change fields this will not result in any increase in payment.
The DAFM confirmation comes in light of requests from tillage farmers to re-assign fields for the purposes of the SIM.
Due to current weather conditions very little winter barley straw has been baled over the past four weeks.
The current options available to applicants or their agents to amend SIM parcels include a late amendment via the iNet facility or by emailing DAFM
Applicants will need to list the current SIM parcel applied on and the new parcel that they wish to select for inclusion in SIM.
The possibility of switching SIM parcels was initially raised by Teagasc earlier this week.
It is envisaged that up to 70,000ha of land will be included in the 2023 SIM measure.
Initially, it would not have been the intention of growers to include fields planted out in barley for the scheme, given the inherently high value of the straw harvested from these locations.
However, the lack of opportunity to get winter barley straw lifted plus the continuous and degrading impact of heavy rain and wind has fundamentally altered this scenario.
DAFM target
The initial target placed on SIM by DAFM was to have 55,000ha of straw chopped annually.
Assuming the government agrees to fund an extra 15,000ha the funding requirement will increase by some €7.5 million.
According to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) grain committee chairman, Kieran McEvoy, SIM has been a huge success since its inception in 2021.
McEvoy said:“ The volume of applications received in 2023 is testament to its popularity with tillage farmers. The tillage sector needs continued support if it is to remain viable. Changes in the Nitrates regulations will further reduce an already shrinking land base for the tillage sector.
“With the decline in global grain prices, it is just simply not financially viable for tillage farmers to try and compete in the land rental market.
“An increase in funding for straw incorporation along with the future incentivisation for the transfer of organic nutrients from livestock to tillage farms will go some way to ensuring tillage farmers can remain viable and competitive in future years.”