Farmers could get a payment of up to €1,000 to help cover silage costs this year under a support package being developed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Charlie McConalogue is expected to outline plans for the scheme, which could be worth up to €55 million, when he brings a memo to Cabinet today (Tuesday, May 3). However, no budget for the measure has yet been finalised.

According to sources, it is believed that the support package would reward farmers with a €100/ha payment for all silage cut up to 10ha.

This would result in farmers being eligible to receive up to €1,000 each; it is understood that the payment would be made later this year.

tillage food security green waste Minister McConalogue
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue

Farmers are continuing to grapple with spiralling fertiliser, feed and energy costs as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflationary pressures.

A recent Teagasc survey found that 49% of drystock farmers had yet to spread chemical nitrogen (N).

Of the farmers who took part in that survey in mid-April, 45% planned to cut N rates on grazing ground by up to 30% this year; and 27% said they plan on cutting it by 30-50%.

This reduction in fertiliser use has led to concerns of a possible fodder shortage when stock needs to be housed later in the year.

Minister McConalogue previously stated that he would bring forward supports for beef and sheep farmers who are particularly impacted by rising fertiliser prices due to tighter margins.

However, as the terms and conditions of the scheme are still being worked out, it is unclear if the support payment will be limited solely to these sectors.

The latest financial package follows the €12 million Tillage Incentive Scheme (TIS) which encourages farmers to sow additional tillage crops in 2022 on land that was in grass last year.

The Cabinet also gave the green light to support schemes worth €20 million for pig farmers and almost €3 million for the horticulture sector.