The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has today (Friday, September 9) announced that payments have started to issue under the Horticultural Exceptional Payment Scheme (HEPS) to eligible growers.

The payments, capped at €100,000, will continue to issue through the month of September as applications are processed.

Payments to growers of field vegetables and apples will be made on an area basis at a rate of €400/ha.

For high-wire crop growers, the payment will be calculated for a maximum of two hectares, €70,000 will be paid for the first hectare in production and €30,000 for the second or the pro-rata equivalent.

For mushrooms, payments will be calculated on the level of mushrooms sold and will be based on the quantity sold over the period from January 1, 2022 to April 30, 2022.

The department said that €2.8 million measure is designed to “ensure the short-term security and thus the long-term viability of these sectors”.

The scheme funded through Ireland’s allocation for exceptional adjustment aid to producers in the agricultural and food production sectors.

The allocation was announced by the European Commission on March 23 in response to rising food security concerns in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Making the announcement, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said:

“This support measure will help to mitigate some of the significant challenges the horticulture sector has been experiencing of late. The domestic horticulture sector is of immense importance and one that we want to protect and enhance.”

Minister of State with special responsibility for horticulture, Senator Pippa Hackett added:

“I am committed to supporting our growers through what has been an exceptionally challenging period, and these payments will provide valuable cash flow to help to support growers and ensure the long-term viability of the sector.”

Minister McConalogue urged farmers who have outstanding queries on the scheme to contact the department immediately in order to facilitate their payment.