Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has announced the opening of the 2023 Tillage Incentive Scheme (TIS) today (Wednesday, June 14).
The TIS aims to provide support to tillage farmers who continue to maintain the current tillage area converted under TIS 2022 and allow for additional conversion to tillage crops in 2023.
The overall budget for the TIS is €10 million, and provides for two rates of payment:
- A payment of €400/ha for area newly converted to tillage in 2023;
- A maintenance payment of €200/ha for area converted in 2022 and a farmer maintaining their tillage area in 2023.
Both rates are subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the scheme, which can be found on the website of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Minister McConalogue commented: “I am delighted to launch the 2023 Tillage Incentive Scheme with funding of €10 million.
“The Tillage Incentive Scheme was first introduced in 2022, as a direct result of the impact on Irish agriculture and supply chains arising from the situation in Ukraine and the availability and price of animal feed and fertilisers in Ireland,” he added.
“As the [war in Ukraine] has continued, so too has the impact on Irish farmers and therefore I am extending the scheme into 2023.”
According to the minister, the scheme in 2022 was a success, with a 6% (over 20,000ha) increase in tillage compared to 2021.
“There is an ambition for continued growth of the tillage sector as highlighted in the Food Vision 2030 Strategy and, more recently, in the Climate Action Plan, where a target has been set to increase the area under tillage crops to 400,000ha by 2030,” the minister said.
Farmers wishing to apply for the 2023 scheme should do so through the agfood portal before the closing date of July 7, 2023.