Following on from the package of measures announced last week to provide support to Irish farmers amid concerns about food security, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has launched the Tillage Incentive Scheme.
Minister McConalogue said: “As part of our response to the cost increases currently facing Irish farmers, I am delighted to launch the Tillage Incentive Scheme.
“The Tillage Incentive Scheme aims to support farmers to grow more tillage crops in 2022, to reduce Ireland’s dependency on imported feed material.
“We have acted quickly to put this package in place and I am grateful to my department and everyone in the sector for working so hard to deliver it,” he added.
Tillage Incentive Scheme
The budget for the Tillage Incentive Scheme is €10 million with a proposed payment rate of €400 /ha.
The payment reflects a contribution towards the increase in the cost of growing crops in 2022, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Farmers wishing to apply for the Tillage Incentive Scheme should declare the eligible crops on their 2022 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application by the closing date of May 16, 2022.
Minister McConalogue stated: “I urge farmers to take account of the Tillage Incentive Scheme when deciding on crops to sow in the coming days and weeks.
“I also remind farmers that the crops declared on your 2022 Basic Payment Scheme application will be the basis for entry into the scheme and for any future payments under the scheme.”
The DAFM has confirmed that it is finalising the Red Clover Silage Measure which was also announced as part of last week’s package. Further details on that measure are due to follow shortly.
“I am also pleased to announce a derogation for farmers in relation to the crop diversification rule under the Greening Scheme for 2022. This change will provide maximum flexibility for farmers with regards their planting decisions,” Minister McConalogue added.
Criteria
The Tillage Incentive Scheme is aimed at incentivising farmers to grow additional tillage crops.
Russia and Ukraine are significant sources of global cereal exports, so the price and availability of cereals globally is impacted by the situation in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia.
It is proposed to encourage farmers to grow more tillage crops (e.g. barley, oats, wheat) in 2022 versus 2021.
For area of crops to be eligible, the land must have been in grassland in 2021.
Farmers should declare the relevant crops on their 2022 BPS application along with all their other land for 2022 in the normal way.
Based on the crops declared on the 2022 BPS application, the DAFM will write to eligible farmers in June 2022.
Protein crops are ineligible for payment and the area under protein crops in 2021 and 2022 will be excluded in the calculation to determine the area of additional crops grown in 2022.
Example
If a farmer grew 65ha of eligible crops in 2021 and in 2022, the farmer acquired 15ha of grassland and grew eligible crops (cereals – winter or spring), oilseed rape, maize, or beet (fodder/sugar) on the 65ha plus the new additional 15ha, the farmer is eligible to receive payment of €400/ha on the 15 new eligible hectares amounting to €6,000.
If a farmer grew 100ha of eligible crops in 2021 and grew 120ha of eligible crops in 2022 but the additional 20ha was in tillage in 2021, no payment is due as the additional land was in tillage production in 2021.