The nitrates derogation, as well as three farmer schemes, will close for applications in the coming days.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is accepting applications for the nitrates derogation until midnight tomorrow (Friday, April 22).
This deadline was extended by the department, having been originally due to close last Friday.
The derogation allows more intensive farmers to operate at a higher stocking rate than that stipulated in the Nitrates Directive.
The extension was welcomed by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), whose environmental chair Paul O’Brien said farmers wishing to apply for the derogation would have more time to gather and prepare the information required to submit the online application.
Also tomorrow, the Organic Farming Scheme will close for applications. This too was an extended deadline.
According to the department, the Organic Farming Scheme aims to increase the area of land farmed organically in Ireland, and includes an additional €5 million budget to take in new entrants this year.
Under the scheme, farmers can potentially receive up to €15,000 per year. Farmers entering the scheme could qualify for yearly payments of up to €220/ha during the conversion period, and up to €170/ha when they have achieved full-organic status.
Higher payment rates are available for organic horticulture and tillage farmers.
Then on Monday of next week (April 25), two schemes are set to close: the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Sucklers (BEEP-S); and the Dairy Beef Calf Measure.
Monday is the originally-planned closing date for both schemes, i.e. no extension to the scheme application period has been granted.
Applications for both measures can be lodged through agfood.ie. The two schemes together are worth €45 million.
BEEP-S has a funding provision of €40 million in 2022 and targets the weaning efficiency of suckler cows and calves by measuring the live weight of the calf at weaning as a percentage of the cow’s live weight.
Applicants to the scheme can also select from a number of optional health and welfare measures, including meal feeding or vaccination of weanlings; and/or faecal egg testing of suckler cows.
Under BEEP–S, participants may be eligible for up to €90 for the first 10 suckler cow/calf pairs per herd, and up to €80 per pair thereafter – subject to an overall maximum of 100 pairs per herd – if all actions under the scheme are applied for.
The Dairy Beef Calf Measure has a budget of €5 million this year, and follows on from the pilot in 2021. The objective of the measure is to “increase the economic and environmental efficiency of beef from the dairy herd”, the department said.
The aim of the measure is to facilitate the further integration of the dairy and beef sectors by providing support for farmers who are rearing progeny from the dairy herd.
The core action is the weighing of eligible calves, for which there is a payment of €20 per calf, up to a maximum of 40 calves, increased from 20 in the pilot measure.