Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has outlined some of the initial details of an upcoming fertiliser support scheme.

The scheme was announced as part of Budget 2027 yesterday (Tuesday, October 6).

Although the ins-and-outs of the scheme are yet to be finalised, Minister Heydon has outlined some details on how access to the scheme will operate, and what payments will be based on.

Speaking to Agriland, the minister said: "€77 million will go into farmers' pockets between now and the end of this year in cash injection, both with another run of the Fuel Income Support Scheme and with a newly-designed fertiliser scheme.

"€46.1 million I have for a fertiliser scheme. It will be based off last year's usage in 2025, off the [National] Fertiliser Database," the minister added.

He said: "I'm finalising details on that scheme, once I have the money this week. I had done significant work on it over the summer."

Minister Heydon indicated that farmer participation in the scheme will be based on the National Fertiliser Database, rather than on an application process.

He said: "I envisage that farmers won't have to apply for that, that I'll be able to do it in a way based off the database.

"I'll have to set minimum and maximum criteria and I'll engage with farm organisations on that before finalising the scheme," he added.

On the extended Fuel Income Support Scheme, Minister Heydon said it will be a "rerun of what people got earlier this year, again to be paid out before the end of this year".

Funding for both schemes will come from the underspend from the €100 million that was announced for the Fuel Income Support Scheme earlier this year.

"€38 million was spent of the €100 million I was allocated back in April... Of the €62 million remaining, €31 million will go on the Fuel Income Support Scheme again, paying the same amount out again before year-end," Minister Heydon said.

"Then on the fertiliser scheme, I received €15.4 million from the EU, as part of [Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen's] exceptional aid because of the impact of high prices on fertiliser," he explained.

"Member states were given the ability to add 200% to that figure that we each received, so that's another €31 million. So I have €62 million left out of the €100 million, €31 million is going on fuel, €31 million is going to the €15.4 million that we've got from the EU, so that's a €46 million fertiliser package," the minister added.

It is understood that memos will be brought to cabinet next week on these two schemes, which will be followed by talks with farm organisations on the fertiliser scheme to work through the final details.