Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has today (Tuesday, October 31) announced an extension to the deadline for submitting applications under phase 2 of the Soil Sampling and Analysis Programme.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will now accept applications until Friday, November 10, 2023.
The original deadline for applications under the scheme had been due to fall yesterday (Monday, October 30).
Soil sampling
The Soil Sampling Programme is an initiative which aims to provide farmers and their advisors with comprehensive details about the nutrient status, carbon status and indicators of soil health on their farms.
The results can be used to target soil management and farming practices to achieve economic and environmental sustainability on farms.
The department said that the information collected through the programme will also enable better monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a national and regional level by screening for the presence of E. coli.
The results of the programme will then be used to facilitate the further development of mitigation and containment strategies to address AMR within a One Health focus.
The programme has the potential to take 90,000 soil samples from farms all over the country.
The Soil Sampling and Analysis programme is open to farmers across the country and the full list of eligibility criteria can be found on the DAFM website.
Applications can be made through www.agfood.ie.