Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has announced a one-week extension to the closing date for receipt of claims under the National Liming Programme.
Wet weather over the summer and autumn significantly diminished many farmers opportunities to spread lime this year.
For this reason, the minister announced earlier this month that, provided an invoice marked paid was submitted with the payment claim by October 31, the lime could be delivered and spread up to March 31, 2024.
However, in recent days quarries have experienced a significant increase in the number of farmers seeking to forward buy lime for delivery and spreading by the end of March.
In some cases this has resulted in quarries suspending sales as they could not guarantee they would have payments processed and invoices marked paid issued to all their customers in time for the claim to be submitted to the department.
Responding to this situation, Minister McConalogue said today (Friday, October 27): “Given the difficult weather conditions, I introduced flexibility at the start of October to allow farmers spread lime under the Liming Programme up to March 31, 2024, provided the lime was paid for and the claim for aid submitted to my department by October 31.
“Significant numbers of farmers have opted to avail of this important flexibility,” he added.
“Such is the demand that a number of quarries have advised that, as they can’t guarantee their customers will have an invoice marked paid in time for next Tuesday’s deadline, they are ceasing to take orders.”
“Given the environmental benefits associated with the application of lime to correct soil pH, I want to ensure all approved farmers can avail of this scheme and purchase lime. I am therefore granting a one-week extension, with the scheme now closing for claims at midnight on November 7,” Minister McConalogue said.
The National Liming Programme is supported as a once-off measure from the national exchequer and farmer payments have to be paid from the 2023 budget.
To allow time for claim processing, there will be no further extension to the deadline for receipt of claims, according to the minister.
The extension has been welcomed by Sinn Féin spokesperson for agriculture, food and the marine Claire Kerrane, who had requested that the deadline be extended “given the increased input costs this year and the delay in farm payments”.
“Farmers were under huge financial pressure and the idea of having to buy lime now just to have a receipt when the lime more than likely will not be spread until next year was not fair,” Kerrane said.
“I welcome the extension of one week, and while it is just a week, it will give farmers a small bit of breathing space,” she added.