Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said he does “not envisage” any further extension to the spreading date under the National Liming Programme.
Last month, the minister extended the deadline for spreading lime to June 28, 2024. Announcing the extension, he said he recognises the challenges farmers have faced trying to spread time due to high levels of rainfall.
The previous deadline for spreading lime was March 31, 2024. The minister’s announcement to extend the deadline until June appeared to be a u-turn as he had repeatedly ruled out allowing more time to spread lime.
However, the minister has now been urged by independent TD Denis Naughten to further push out the deadline due to “ongoing challenges” as a result of poor soil conditions due to continuous rainfall over the last number of months.
The Roscommon-Galway TD said that Minister McConalogue “fails to recognise” that the extension to June 28 for spreading lime is “insufficient given the severity of the situation”.
“The incessant rainfall has not only made lime spreading nearly impossible but also necessitated the imminent closure of lands for winter fodder.
“I urge the minister to reconsider his stance on the lime spreading window ensuring that our farmers are not unduly penalised for circumstances beyond their control,” Deputy Naughten said.
Liming deadline
In response to the deputy, Minister McConalogue said that in October last year he announced “important flexibility” to the spreading date which was permitted due to the challenging weather conditions in 2023.
This allowed farmers until March 31 to spread the lime they had purchased under the scheme and for which they had submitted receipts to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). The previous date had been October 31, 2023.
“However, with the high levels of rainfall recorded since last July and little improvement in ground conditions and soil trafficability since the beginning of the year, I recognise the challenges farmers have faced trying to spread lime.
“In order to address this, in March I announced a further extension to the date by which lime must be spread under this programme. Lime purchased under the scheme can now be spread by Friday, June 28, 2024.
“This flexibility gives farmers an opportunity to apply lime when ground conditions improve. I do not envisage any further extension to the spreading date,” Minister McConalogue said in response to Deputy Naughten.