The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) announced today (Tuesday, December 19), that payments under the Tillage Incentive Scheme (TIS) have commenced.
A total of 2,626 farmers will benefit from the support measure.
The aim of the scheme is to incentivise the increase in the eligible tillage crop area in 2023 to reduce the dependency on imported feed material.
Not all applications are currently cleared for payment under the Tillage Aid Scheme.
Regular pay runs will continue in the coming weeks to ensure cleared cases are processed for payment quickly, according to DAFM.
It is important to note that payments may take up to five days to reach farmers accounts.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said that payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days and that the department will continue to process “any outstanding queries”.
Farmers will be paid €200 for each eligible hectare under the maintenance option and will be paid €400 for each eligible hectare under the newly converted land option.
The Tillage Incentive Scheme was implemented pursuant to the Temporary Crisis Fund Transition Framework for State Aid measures to support the economy following the aggression against Ukraine by Russia.
The minister said: “The scheme was introduced to encourage farmers to sow additional eligible tillage crops to help reduce the dependency on imported animal feed materials and thereafter to maintain this additional tillage area going forward into 2023.”
If farmers wish to contact the department regarding their TIS payment, they can ring the direct payments helpline, which can be found through the DAFM website.
The department also announced today that payments totalling €12.3 million have commenced issuing to farmers under the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM).
Payment rates under the SIM are €250/ha for barley, wheat, oats and rye, and €150/ha for oilseed rape.