McConalogue 'really pleased' with number of submissions to €56m fodder scheme

The Minister for Agriculture has praised the high number of submissions by Irish farmers to a €56 million scheme incentivising the growth of hay and silage. 

Speaking today (August 31), Minister Charlie McConalogue said he was "really pleased" with the high uptake and confirmed over 537,000 hectares have been entered in the scheme. 

Over 70,000 farmers have applied for the Fodder Support Scheme to ensure adequate supply of fodder during the cold months into next spring. 

The minister said, "...this will make a big contribution towards the fodder required in the country for the coming winter." 

The scheme was introduced as part of a package of measures in recent months to provide support to Irish farmers arising from the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. 

He continued: "The Government provided €56 million for the Fodder Support Scheme, with a payment rate of up to €100 per hectare. The amount of support is capped at 10 hectares per farmer, this will result in a maximum payment of €1,000 under the Scheme." 

Minister McConalogue is urging all participants to ensure they read the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme, in particular that the areas declared under the Scheme must be cut and conserved by Monday September 5 2022. 

After the deadline, the Department of Agriculture will undertake a range of administrative and compliance checks including on-farm inspections. 

He added: "I encourage participants who may receive correspondence from my Department in relation to the Scheme, to respond without delay. Payments under the scheme are scheduled to commence later in 2022." 

Payments will commence in late November 2022 once all administrative, compliance and on the spot inspections have been completed.