The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has called for a further extension of the deadline for the National Liming Programme 2023.
The farm organisation welcomed the recent announcement by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue allowing more flexibility under the scheme.
Farmers will be able receive payment under the Liming Programme where a receipt has been submitted by October 31, 2023, with the deadline for lime to be spread being extended to March 31, 2024.
The programme is supported as a once-off Ukraine funded measure from the National Exchequer, with the deadline for invoices marked paid on October 31, 2023.
ICMSA
Deputy president of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, who also chairs the association’s Farm and Rural Affairs Committee, described the announcement as “a step in the right direction”.
He said it “recognised the extremely difficult weather conditions over the summer that have continued into the autumn” which are “making any field-based jobs extremely difficult”.
“While the extension to March 31, 2024 is welcome, the reality for farmers in particularly wetter parts of Ireland is that a lot of land targeted for lime spreading will probably not dry out sufficiently before April or May next year.
“At that stage, the land will have been closed off for first cut silage,” Drennan said.
“The liming programme is a welcome initiative, and the minister should ensure that its benefit is maximised – that is why ICMSA thinks that forcing farmers to spread lime in unsuitable conditions between now and next March would not be sensible,” he added.
“ICMSA proposes that the date for spreading should be extended to July 15, 2024 to allow farmers to spread the lime after first cut silage – if the weather has not improved sufficiently before then.
“This would be a sensible approach and would maximise the benefits of the scheme,” the ICMSA deputy president said.
The liming programme was introduced earlier this year to incentivise the use of lime to correct soil acidity, make nutrients more available for plant uptake, and improve overall soil health.