Over 29,000 applications have been made to date for the Fodder Support Scheme, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed.
The €56 million scheme aims to incentivise farmers, in particular drystock farmers, to grow more silage and/or hay to avoid a shortage of fodder over the coming winter and next spring.
The payment rate will be up to €100/ha, up to a maximum of 10ha. Payments are expected to begin issuing in late November.
The closing date for applications for the scheme, which can be made through the Exceptional Aid System the agfood website, is August 2.
The DAFM said that as of 9:00a.m this morning (Friday, July 15) 29,232 applications had been received.
The department also confirmed that Galway currently has the highest number of applications at almost 3,200, followed by Mayo and Cork.
Dublin has the lowest amount of applications.
The following table provides a county-by-county breakdown for the number of applications made to DAFM to date:
County Total applications Carlow 381 Cavan 1,198 Clare 1,569 Cork 2,270 Donegal 1,125 Dublin 70 Galway 3,193 Kerry 1,266 Kildare 529 Kilkenny 895 Laois 846 Leitrim 879 Limerick 1,068 Longford 831 Louth 310 Mayo 2,654 Meath 801 Monaghan 1,071 Offaly 774 Roscommon 2,142 Sligo 1,197 Tipperary 1,663 Waterford 515 Westmeath 845 Wexford 720 Wicklow 420 TOTAL 29,232
Meanwhile, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has urged farmers “not to take the foot off the pedal” when it comes to saving fodder this year.
Charlie McConalogue told the National Fodder and Food Security Committee meeting on Wednesday (July 13) that farmers should take advantage of every opportunity to save additional fodder.